


everybody talks

by xoxoHoran



Series: will and angie explore the unknown [2]
Category: Single Parents (TV 2018)
Genre: Different perspectives, Everybody knows, F/M, Fluff, Friendship to Love, New Relationship, Slight Cannon, background poppy & douglas, post 'I Run to You'
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:55:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24203980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoxoHoran/pseuds/xoxoHoran
Summary: Will and Angie have decided to take small steps towards turning their friendship into a (potential) relationship. Follow along as everyone around them adapts to their new dynamic and as they try something they have never before.
Relationships: Will Cooper/Angie D'Amato
Series: will and angie explore the unknown [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746952
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	1. poppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If you must know, I was roped into recreating Rory’s whole “Super Trooper” dance on skates that he has us do every week and I rolled my ankle. Douglas is currently watching Rory, who has since persuaded the twins to do the routine with him. And no, though Douglas offered to take me to the hospital, himself, I told him he needed to stay home and watch the kids.” Poppy rattles off answers to questions Angie had only just begun forming, before shooting her friend a look that clearly said _we’re done talking about this_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought Poppy would be the perfect place to start, considering she seems to be the most 'in favor' of Will and Angie dating. That being said, I have already thought of a couple other plot-lines to follow, so I hope you guys like this!

She knows she shouldn’t, but she stops by a few days after the whole ‘breakfast with Will’ situation to grill her best friend once more, desperate for more details (she would never admit it to anyone, but she likes the time she spends with Douglas, plotting to get their friends together).

Poppy justifies her presence with the fact that the two of them hardly keep any secrets from one another (though Poppy hasn’t told her that it was _her_ that informed Will about Angie’s potential feelings which really sparked everything for the duo) and that Angie has always supported her through her various romantic relationships (Ron, Douglas, Mark from school). She assures Angie that it is her time to shine as she uncorks a bottle of wine, though Angie raises an eyebrow before reminding her friend that it is hardly past 10:00 a.m. on a Tuesday (this doesn’t stop either of them, but it is more _on-brand_ for Angie, who is often ‘the pusher,’ than it is for Poppy).

“He came over, we had some cinnamon rolls, end of story.” Angie shakes her head slightly as they settle on her couch, the shorter girl looking anywhere but in Poppy’s direction. “Shouldn’t you be at the Winebrary?”

“We don’t open until noon and you know that,” Poppy replies quickly, watching her best friend carefully to judge where the situation is headed, before continuing, “and besides, Miggy said he would handle business today.”

“Shouldn’t Miggy by working at the office today? You know, they don’t love when people just don’t show up; I know that from personal experience, maybe I should go-”

“Fine! You caught me. I told Will that it was an emergency and that my foot was swollen and I needed someone to cover at the Winebrary, so please play along if you see him, because I said that you were taking me to the hospital.” Poppy admits, shaking her head slightly as she remembers how panicked Will had sounded on the phone earlier. He kept offering to make frozen meals and making sure that she knew to call him if there were any complications because apparently he _knew a guy_ , whatever that meant (she doubts he knows anyone doing anything illegal, considering it’s _Will Cooper_ , so she’s unsure of what he had meant to imply).

“How did you sustain the injury?” Angie questions, a slight smirk on her face as she takes a sip from her glass, mentally thinking of a list of questions that will stall the conversation Poppy wants to have.

“If you must know, I was roped into recreating Rory’s whole “Super Trooper” dance on skates that he has us do every week and I rolled my ankle. Douglas is currently watching Rory, who has since persuaded the twins to do the routine with him. And no, though Douglas offered to take me to the hospital, himself, I told him he needed to stay home and watch the kids.” Poppy rattles off answers to questions Angie had only just begun forming, before shooting her friend a look that clearly said _we’re done talking about this_.

“Now, did you formulate those answers for my sake, or did-”

“He grilled me when I called him, but that isn’t what’s important! Where are things between you and _Will_? I need details, girl!”

“Why, so you and Douglas can gossip about us like schoolgirls?” Angie is smirking as she asks and Poppy instantly looks away, caught in the act. The brunette looks satisfied with herself, as if she’s discovered some great secret (she kind of _has_ ) and Poppy lets a slight silence fall between them as she takes a large sip of her wine, not even wanting to ask how Angie might have known about _that_ situation.

“Look Poppy, I get that you want to support me in this weird situation, but I’m honestly telling you that nothing really happened on Saturday. We ate cinnamon rolls, watched a couple episodes of “Gaveltown” and then went our separate ways.” She doesn’t mention the whole falling asleep together on her couch thing (she wants to keep _some things_ between just her and Will), but otherwise she is being as transparent as always.

Truthfully, Angie just doesn’t want to think about what may or may not be happening between the two of them: on Saturday, they agreed that they would take things slow and work on just making small adjustments in their friendship that could (potentially) lead toward something more. Will joked that they already acted like a couple, anyway, so it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to make the transition into actually _being_ one (his joke was not as funny when they both remembered the situation that happened _after_ his parent’s anniversary party, though neither dared mention that). Angie agreed to stop waiting for Danny, the newspaper boy, in the mornings (Will had refrained from telling her about the fact that the younger man had come looking for her at their children’s Valentine’s Day dinner, instead smiling slightly at the sentiment).

“Okay, fine, but don’t think that I won’t be bringing this up for discussion again.”

* * *

“So the doctor said you were good to work, after all?” Will was smirking lightly as she made her way into the Winebrary, trying not to look embarrassed (though she wasn’t sure how successful her attempts were, given the somewhat self-satisfied look on his face).

“Yeah, you know, I just thought I should be here to help serve the regulars.” Her response is brief and she refuses to make eye contact with Will, knowing that she is a terrible liar (she and Angie had practiced this scenario multiple times before Angie declared it was hopeless and that she should simply stay home for a week ‘to heal’).

From the corner of her eye, she can see Will, shaking his head, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe her lie (he decides to, in the end, because questioning it would mean a whole other set of interrogations, likely from both parties).

“Right, well since you’re here, did you want me to leave, or-”

When she finally allows herself to make eye contact with her friend, she immediately sees how confused he seems by the situation; seeing as he’s Will Cooper, of course, he wants to at least try to make things better (it’s practically in his genetics), but as someone who can easily guess where she spent her Tuesday morning getting tipsy before 1:00 in the afternoon, he knows that it’s better to just pretend something isn’t going on (and, once more, he’s _Will Cooper_ , he’s nothing if not respectable, so he’ll follow Poppy’s lead).

“Do you think I made a mistake breaking up with Douglas?” 

Her mouth seems to work without her mind’s consent as she blurts out the question, Will’s eyes widening slightly in surprise, while she looks a little panicked about the fact that she’s just verbalized a question she’s been suppressing for weeks. Admittedly, she hasn’t talked about the situation with anyone besides and Angie (and technically Derek) and their conversation was somewhat hindered by the fact that Angie thought Poppy owed Douglas an explanation as to why she had broken up with him (which she has since given him) and the fact that Poppy was feeling more defensive than usual that day.

“Uh- do you think you made a mistake breaking up with Douglas?” Will is hesitant as he sits at one of the stools along the counter, scanning the area for any of the Fogerty’s before nodding his head slightly and turning back toward her. 

She doesn’t answer the question because she honestly isn’t sure. It’s something that has been taunting her for weeks, the fact that she let go of Douglas, someone she truly loved, because of her desire to have a baby (which, yeah, babies were cute, but she had something _real_ with Douglas).

Apparently she takes too long to answer because when she finally has the nerve to look back towards Will, Angie is sitting in his place, smiling hesitantly at her as if she understands every emotion Poppy is feeling without her having to say it (which, honestly, she probably does: D’Amato is _that_ good).

“Will said there was some sort of weather emergency and called for back-up,” Angie says softly when their gazes meet, grabbing Poppy’s hand gently from the other side of the counter. Both women silently acknowledge the fact that there is _obviously_ no weather emergency (Will needs to practice lying a little better), but he hadn’t known what to say in the conversation and called for Angie to replace him. 

For a second, Poppy wonders if this is how the two of them are going to work as a couple: a well-oiled unit that is clearly on the same page about every situation (or, at least this one). It’s during that second that she considers the possible consequences Angie and Will dating could have on the rest of their friend-group; Will was practically the heart and enthusiasm of the bunch, but she can’t honestly imagine abandoning Angie if things went south between the two of them (Angie is her _country_ ). 

What would happen if they found themselves in a situation surrounded by awkwardness and a million unanswered questions, similar to the one she and Douglas were in?

“Listen, Poppy, I can see that you’re really overthinking things and I know that you’ve been really avoiding mentioning Derek since I got back, but his advice wasn’t as terrible as you thought it was during the last time we discussed this. I know he sounded like a total fortune cookie when he said that the past was a gift that helps us grow, but he wasn’t wrong.” Angie rolls her eyes slightly as she remembers the dopey way Derek delivered what might have been the smartest thing she’s ever heard him say. “You guys are friends and your kids are friends: things are complicated, yeah, but you guys need to find a way to navigate that. Whether or not you get back together, at least you at least have to acknowledge and cherish the time you spent together.”

Poppy shoots her a ‘ _you’ve got to be kidding me’_ look, before actually thinking about what Angie has said. Maybe Derek was right about it not being fair to her and Douglas for her to just forget about the memories they made together. 

“You’re right,” Poppy mutters as she begins thinking about her memories with Douglas.

“And Pop, I know you’re still on the fence about this whole baby thing, so maybe you should just take some time to think about what it would be like to actually _have_ a baby and how much you want that before you even think about getting back together with Douglas.” Angie squeezes her hands slightly and Poppy’s cheeks flush as she’s reminded of what she had sprung on Will, who had clearly passed on the news.

* * *

Rory insists that, even though he and the twins are home for the summer, the adults should still host weekly parties like they did the summer before (in fact, he practically _demands_ it after thinking about how much fun he will have printing invitations and coordinating outfits).

Will hosts the first one, since his house is practically empty, and Rory goes over to the Cooper house almost every day for a week so the two can plan 'the best party yet' (Poppy was there when Will threw his daughter that 'Downton Abbey' themed party, so she assumes whatever Rory decides on will look _normal_ in comparison). Rory spends every night after dinner gushing over the latest details of the party and whatever gossip he has managed to hear from Will (which, evidently is strictly weather-related, much to the younger boy's disappointment). He reports that he's seen Angie there a couple of times, but usually to drop whatever decorations she picked up from the store for the party or to taste-test whatever dessert Will has created (Angie has gotten some sort of job in marketing since returning to Los Angeles, so the amount of time she spends with her best friend is limited to FaceTime calls and a couple of quick stops that Angie makes to the Winebrary to check up on how 'things are doing').

When Poppy makes her way into the Cooper household, which is decorated like Christmas came early (she even spots the inflatable Santa in Will's yard), she forces herself to hold back the laugh she feels bubbling up to the surface. The all-white Christmas tree that she knows Will didn't own in December is garnished with ornaments she knows Rory has likely chosen and almost every surface in Will's house is covered in fake snow or glitter (or _both_ ). Not for the first time, Poppy smiles as she thinks about the warm, loving attitude Will has toward all of the kids, thankful she is friends with someone who would do anything to make her child happy.

"Oh God, someone should tell Will that it isn't even _July_ , so this whole 'Christmas in July' thing isn't working," Douglas mumbles as he makes his way into the living room, where Will has professionally wrapped a small present for each of them. Though he's grumbling, Poppy notes that Douglas is wearing some sort of Christmas-themed tie that she _knows_ Rory selected for him and is carrying a gift for his 'secret Santa' (he complained about drawing Miggy the second the slip was forced into his hand).

"I can't believe Angie actually helped him decorate for this," Miggy mumbles, following closely behind him as he picks up one of the evenly 'snow-dusted' decorations off of Will's coffee table. 

"There's no way D'Amato let this happen," Douglas protests as he takes Poppy's gift and his own, setting them under the tree, where a plastic bag labeled 'Will' is already laying. 

Rory is buzzing around the room, collecting coats and directing people on where to go (the living room, he demands, because the kitchen is currently occupied), while the twins have already begun inspecting Will's house for possible damage they can fix.

When Douglas and Miggy rope Rory into some sort of conversation about the inappropriate-ness of a white Christmas tree, especially one in June, Poppy takes a moment to escape to the kitchen, interested to see whatever desserts Will has prepared for the occasion (she's expecting _at least_ four different kinds of Christmas cookies). What she isn't expecting is to see Will and Angie laughing together as the former attempts to frost freshly baked gingerbread men, the latter with a camera hung around her neck, taking pictures of the event (Poppy documents this moment in her mind for the sheer reasoning that, apparently, the one thing Will can not do is frost cookies). They look so carefree and happy; she doesn't know that she's ever seen Angie smile so wide, even when recounting the story about Sophie calling her a 'role model.'

She is unable to contain her smile when she makes her way back toward the others and, when Will and Angie do finally emerge with a tray of poorly frosted gingerbread cookies, she lightly squeezes Angie's hand (it's a silent congratulations and they both know it).

* * *

To Rory's delight, the party goes off without a hitch: Angie smiles when she opens her gift from Miggy (an assortment of gift cards with a variety of unknown amounts) and Douglas seems to like the crystal glasses she decided to buy him (she had called Angie the night before in a panic, questioning if the gift was too personal, but her friend had reassured her it would be fine). Will gifts her with a scrapbook dedicated to her and Rory that he has clearly spent a lot of time working on (Angie mumbles something about the photos being recycled from Poppy's personal slideshow, but he nudges her softly to silence her) and Douglas's gift to Miggy (a coupon to print more calenders) seems to be the biggest hit, since Miggy quickly left afterward to start brainstorming new positions and outfits for the photo shoot, calling a photographer as soon as he was a few steps out of the house.

Angie's gift to Will, a trophy that is a pair of waterskis that is inscribed _First Place in Pair Skiing, Lake Winnipesaukee Olympics_ makes the latter tear up slightly, though Douglas mumbles something about it being 'just another paper-weight (Poppy makes a mental note to ask Angie about the significance of the present at a later time).

Will serves Christmas-themed cocktails and peppermint ice cream that even the twins enjoy (they're crazily picky about a select amount of things, including ice cream).

Overall, everything feels right, both with their group and in general.

She smiles when she thinks about what a great start their summer is off to, even though she's not spending it kid-free like Angie and Will are (though Will offers to babysit _anytime_ , aparently feeling a little lonely without Sophie around).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My exams are finally _over_ , so to celebrate, I have allowed myself to start something new. I thought this might be an interesting outlet to explore, so let me know what you think!


	2. bud and lucy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bud and Lucy watch the interaction closely, identical smiles on their faces, as they see Will more at ease than he has been in years: though they know he loves Sophie more than anything, he always seems a little on-edge about the multiple ways she could potentially get hurt and her future plans (they would likely never forget the panicked phone call they received when Sophie got an A- and Will claimed it completely ruined her 15-year plan).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't remember or you haven't watched the episode recently, Bud and Lucy are Will's parents: I thought I would play on their perspectives next, considering they had thought the two were dating way before there were any _clear_ signs that things might lead to that.

They decide to visit in the middle of the summer, having waited a month to allow their son a chance to adjust to his Sophie-free summer before checking in to make sure he is doing okay.

Last summer, they hadn’t stopped into town because he sent them frequent home-made postcards and pictures about the parties he and his friends had been throwing; they had no doubts that he was doing better than either could have hoped. However, this summer had been met with radio silence: Will had called a couple of times to discuss small things happening around him (apparently he threw a Christmas party in _June_ ) but he hadn't mentioned anything about how he was spending his days and, really, his parents thought maybe it was time to visit (they hadn't seen him since actual Christmas, even though his birthday was in May). 

So, the couple decides to pack their luggage and spend a week with the son who, as the backup weatherman, apparently has more time to spare than either of them realized.

* * *

Will is waiting in the driveway when they arrive, a wide smile plastered on his face as they pull up to his house; they take a moment to observe the fact that there is still some fake snow on his outdoor trees and his inflatable Santa is sitting deflated on the front lawn (Will Cooper never gave less than 100%, something they both loved about him).

He rushes to take their bags as soon as the car is parked, opening their doors like a valet and running frantically around, like a chicken with its’ head cut off (he’s _so_ anxious, given the fact that the last time he saw his parents, they were on the verge of potential divorce).

“Thanks for coming guys, I can’t believe you’re staying a _whole week_! I have already planned out what we’re going to do and Douglas is actually hosting a Thanksgiving-themed dinner this week, since it’s his turn to host the party, so we’ve gotta start working on some dishes for that-”

Bud and Lucy share a slight smile as their son rambles on about all the _fun activities_ he has planned for the three of them, reminding them of his younger days, when he would meticulously plan their vacations down to the last minute.

“Okay, I think that was the last of the-”

Angie stops as soon as she enters the room, glancing between a slightly sweaty Will and his seemingly shocked parents, before offering a slight wave (not a hug; her hands are caked in fake snow and glitter and, no matter how hard she’s tried scrubbing them, it has not even begun to come off).

Lucy’s face lights up the younger woman’s presence, while Bud offers her a grin, both surprised to see her, though not completely surprised by her presence in the house: there has always been something between Will and Angie, hasn’t there? After Will had informed them (in his monthly newsletter) that things between him and Tracy Freeze had ended, they had just assumed that there was room for the duo to make their way towards one another, which they clearly have.

“Angie! How are you dear, come here.” Lucy opens her arms wide, shaking her hands slightly as if to signal for a hug, but Angie remains frozen in place, glancing briefly toward her hands, before back at Will’s parents (who he had swore were arriving in a couple of hours, hence why she was called to help take down the Christmas decorations).

“Oh, I’m doing well, but I’m actually super- oh, you’re going for the hug anyways.” She feels Lucy nod her head from their embrace and Angie hesitantly wraps her arms loosely around the older woman, careful not to get any glitter on her (which is impossible). Situations like these tend to make Angie a little uncomfortable, a fact that Will is aware of, as he clears his throat and gestures for his mother to let Angie out of her grasp (she sends him a grateful look in response, something which neither of his parents miss).

“Sorry that things are a little messy around here, we were just cleaning up the last of Rory’s Christmas party,” Will apologizes as he spots _more_ glitter laying on the floor. 

“I wouldn’t say it was just _Rory’s_ party, you were the one who insisted on getting Santa back out,” Angie quips, nudging Will slightly and sending Bud and Lucy into a slight round of laughter, both of them remembering Will’s somewhat _intense_ love for the holiday (and all holidays, in general). “Wait till Sophie comes home and you have to explain to her that you bought _another_ Christmas tree.”

“Oh God, I can’t believe I had to pay Douglas back for those trees,” Will mumbles, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “If I never see a purple Christmas tree again, it will be too soon.”

“They _were_ kind of terrible,” Angie agrees easily, a slight smile on lighting up her face as she thinks about the past holiday season and her _brief_ stint in jail (she thinks Graham is still traumatized by it). 

Bud and Lucy watch the interaction closely, identical smiles on their faces, as they see Will more at ease than he has been in years: though they know he loves Sophie more than anything, he always seems a little on-edge about the multiple ways she could potentially get hurt and her future plans (they would likely never forget the panicked phone call they received when Sophie got an A- and Will claimed it completely ruined her 15-year plan).

“So, Angie, what have you been up to with Graham away at Lance Bass Space Camp with Sophie?” Bud inquires after he is absolutely sure that Angie and Will’s side conversation has ended (he doesn’t want to ruin whatever moment they’re _clearly_ having).

“Oh, well I’m working at a big marketing firm now, I’ve started getting into photography, and I’m slowly learning to cook more than whatever can be found in the frozen food section of the grocery: between those things and the friend-parties Rory has been planning, I’ve kept pretty occupied.” 

It’s somewhat hard to believe that the woman standing in front of them is the same woman who took them to her old elementary school, the woman who had been a somewhat run-down paralegal when they first met. Angie looks more energetic than they’ve ever seen her and she speaks with a passion that wasn’t there when she was a guest at their engagement party.

“Wow, congratulations! That’s so exciting and good to know that you’re adopting some hobbies!” Lucy exclaims, wide grin still stretched across her face as she reaches for the younger woman once more (admittedly, she has _always_ been a hugger).

“At least it isn’t making slideshows, right.” Angie jokes, shooting Will a curious glance about the fact that he hasn’t started rolling the one he created for his parents (it is twenty minutes long and he had made her watch it at least six times to ensure it was perfect).

“Right! Right! I made you guys a slideshow! Oh my God, let me go get that! Where did I put-”

“You queued it up to your TV an hour ago so they could watch it in high definition.” 

Lucy’s smile brightens, if possible, as Will nods in confirmation before rushing towards the television, gesturing for everyone else to make themselves comfortable in the living room (Angie contemplates leaving, considering she’s seen the show so many times, but then decides that would be rude and situates herself on one end of the couch).

As the beginning chords of “100 Years” start, Angie can’t help but roll her eyes, shooting a clearly amused look in Will’s direction as he scrambles to find a seat on the couch, between her and his parents.

* * *

“Okay everyone, these are my parents, Bud and Lucy. Mom and Dad, this is Poppy and her son Rory, Miggy and his son Jack, and Douglas and his twin daughters, Emma and Amy.” Will looks somewhat jumpy as he makes the introductions, holding two pies that he spent a majority of the day before making (he had insisted on intricate patterns in the crust, though Bud protested that no one would notice if he just made _regular_ pies).

Having spent the week going to some of Will’s favorite establishments (the Winebrary, Hilltop Elementary, the gas station) and making almost _all_ of the Thanksgiving meal (Douglas had said he would handle the turkey and Poppy had been placed in charge of alcohol), Bud and Lucy are a little exhausted but still smile warmly at their son’s friends.

They haven’t seen Angie since their first day in town, she had made up some excuse about having to work on a big campaign and quickly left after the slideshow (not before commenting that it looked _exactly the same_ as it had the other six times she had seen it), and as they scan the room, they notice that she has not yet arrived. Admittedly, they are a little surprised that the brunette hadn’t been around more; Lucy is _convinced_ that it was Will giving her those cooking lessons she mentioned and Bud is _absolutely positive_ that the extra key on Will’s keychain belonged to her house (he rationalizes that would imply they were at a specific level of closeness that was not reflected in her absence).

“It is nice to meet you all, Will says such nice things about you,” Lucy smiles, quickly handing an expectant Douglas the cranberries and yams she’s holding, feeling slightly out of place in the expensive and exquisite Fogerty home. 

“Where’s D’Amato?” One of the blonde girls questions, looking up at Douglas as if he should have expected the question and already given the appropriate answer. 

“Oh, well Amy, we talked about this earlier, remember? Angie said she wasn’t feeling well and to eat her portion of the turkey.” Poppy says, bending slightly to be more level with the younger girl, something Bud notices seems to ease a little tension from the blonde (he vaguely remembers Will saying something about Poppy and Douglas dating, though it hadn’t worked out for them).

“I know you said it earlier, but it didn’t sound believable then and it doesn’t now. Why is D’Amato ditching us? Doesn’t she want to celebrate fake Thanksgiving with us?”

“Listen, uh- I think that Angie just has some things she needs to work through right now, sweetie, and we should let her do that at her own pace.”

Poppy’s words seem to sound off alarms in Will’s mind because when Lucy turns to question him further, he looks startled by the revelation that his best friend might be going through something _without him_. Douglas shakes his head slightly when Will meets his gaze, not wanting to make a scene about the situation, before escorting Bud and Lucy to their appointed seats at the table. 

Though they have a lovely meal, Bud and Lucy are aware that Will is practically somewhere else, likely thinking about whatever is wrong with Angie, and that makes them both smile.

* * *

“It will just be a quick stop, practically a drive-by, but we should just make sure everything is fine with Angie,” Will explains as he stops the car in front of the D’Amato house, a place that Bud and Lucy have actually never been inside (both are somewhat curious how messy it must be that she was willing to show them her old elementary school before the inside of her house, but knowing Angie, they know it’s probably pretty bad).

Neither parent is surprised by the detour to check on Angie and, as they exit the car, they note how Will has abandoned them in favor of continuously knocking on her door, altering between calling her name and relentlessly ringing her doorbell.

When she answers the door (after 30 seconds), she’s holding a Swiffer mop, looking confused by her visitors before quickly stepping outside of her house and closing the door. In her haste, she does not drop the Swiffer and, though Bud and Lucy assume Will is going to take a step away from his friend, he stays standing next to her, almost pressed against one another.

There is a moment where nothing happens, where Will and Angie just stare at one another and communicate silently, with Will tilting his head in both directions like a bobblehead while Angie attempts to avoid making eye contact, but that moment is broken when Angie steps away from her best friend and toward his parents, pushing the Swiffer into Will’s unsuspecting hands as she makes her way away from her front porch and onto the lawn.

“Hey Bud and Lucy, what are you guys doing here? Shouldn’t you be at fake Thanksgiving, eating a pie that looks like it belongs on the cover of _Good Housekeeping_?”

She seems tense and Lucy wonders if it’s because she has some sort of vendetta against Thanksgiving or if something has upset her recently (like Will, perhaps).

“We just stopped by to make sure you were feeling alright, Poppy mentioned that you had something to work through and, well, you know Will.” Bud laughs lightly as his sentence trails off, looking back toward Will, who is still gripping the Swiffer and looking as if someone kicked his dog.

“Poppy was just kidding, I un- I had other plans, other _conflicting_ plans. That’s why I didn’t make it tonight. You know me, so busy-” She’s rambling and she can hear herself doing it but she feels powerless to stop it. 

“Well we certainly missed you tonight, didn’t we, Will?” Lucy looks nervously toward her son who is still frozen as if something is wrong and he’s mentally trying to identify what it is.

"Yeah, mom and dad, can you give us a quick minute?" Will pulls Angie back toward the house before they have the chance to respond, though it's probably because, even if they had said no, Will obviously would have done it anyway. When he was growing up, they joked that it was his most notable trait, his deep desire to help _everyone_ as much as possible.

As they wait, they gravitate back toward the car and decide to sit inside with the doors open (Lucy says it's so that it won't look like they're desperate to leave, but instead like they're open to hearing about whatever is happening). From Angie's front window, Bud can make out his son's flailing arms and Angie's figure, which seems unmoving (he can only imagine whatever Will is saying, likely something about _best friends leaning on one another_ and how she should be open about how she's feeling.

It's ten minutes later when they emerge from the house, Will sporting a wide grin while Angie climbs into the back seat beside Lucy, mumbling something about hoping they saved some pie for her (Lucy grins when she remembers the apple pie they left at home that Will insisted wasn't for the party).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys have been liking these perspectives. I've been thinking about doing a 'stolen moments' companion piece of just pure Will and Angie' fluff, so let me know what you think about that.  
> Also, I think Douglas is totally going to be the next chapter, so stay on the look-out for that!


	3. douglas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Douglas feels somewhat trapped, unsure of what to say about the situation (he, of course, has known that _something_ was maybe going on between them, but he didn’t have any details and he had been instructed by Poppy that the duo were trying to keep things ‘low key’). However, he and Rory had really grown close while he and Poppy were dating and blatantly lying to him could potentially break whatever bond they still had (which, he doesn’t want to do considering he’s still somewhat hoping he and Poppy will get back together).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so when I was writing Douglas, I kept thinking about the relationship of Will and Angie (obviously) but also the parallels that could be drawn with the relationship between Poppy and Douglas (in which things are in the air and a little tense, in both situations).

Douglas is not necessarily sure how he ended up in this situation, with Angie D’Amato practically having a mini-panic attack in his living room, mumbling to herself about all the failures she’s had as a parent (logically, he knows a few more she hasn’t mentioned, such as _the fire_ , but he keeps them to himself, knowing that mentioning them won’t help the situation).

He had only (subtly) asked how things were going between she and Will: besides the weekly parties and occasional run-in at the Winebrary, he hasn’t seen as much of the two of them as he had originally thought he would (Poppy had smiled brightly when he mentioned that, clearly thrilled by the implication that Angie and Will were spending all of their time _alone_ ). 

How a simple question had ended so poorly was anyone’s guess (and Douglas truly has no guesses about it), but it’s been five minutes and Angie has yet to snap out of whatever funk she’s found herself in. Douglas decides it’s time to call in some serious reinforcements.

 **Douglas (6:45 p.m.):** Poppy, I need you to get to my place as soon as possible! There is a slight situation.

Part of him thinks maybe it’s wrong to use Angie’s mental state as a way to be closer to Poppy, but he reassures himself that he has absolutely no idea what is going on and that Poppy might, before sending the message.

 **Poppy (6:45 p.m.):** I’ll be right over.

* * *

It is no less than five minutes later that Poppy is banging on his front door frantically, wielding a first aid kit and what looks like sort sort of homemade sling; he isn’t sure why she thinks the situation calls for _medical_ help, considering he’s a _doctor_ and she sometimes faints at the sight of blood, but he doesn’t mention anything as he opens the door wider for her (and Rory, who looks unamused by the situation) to enter.

Douglas gestures both toward the living room, where D’Amato has uncurled from the tight ball she was in when he left her and has started pacing, running a hand through her hair as she continues mumbling (it’s even less audible than before). He watches as Poppy and Rory share a look (have they seen her like this before?), the former cautiously approaching her best friend as Rory rushes to the kitchen in search of ice. 

“What happened, sweetie?” Poppy asks softly, wrapping her arms around a still jittery Angie, though Douglas sees the latter start to relax in the embrace. Rory returns with a couple of ice cubes in one of his nice crystal glasses (he opens his mouth to oppose, but the look Poppy shoots in his direction is scathing, so he closes it quickly).

“Graham… space camp… timeline-” 

None of what she is saying makes any coherent sense to Douglas, but Poppy nods in understanding (maybe this _has_ happened before?), whispering something in Angie’s ear that makes her tense slightly, before relaxing once more in Poppy’s embrace.

“You asked her about Will, didn’t you?” Rory’s tone is less accusatory but more inquisitive, as if he’s trying to put together a puzzle with missing pieces, trying to understand the situation without knowing all of the details.

“Why would you-”

“Oh please, things have been a little tense since she didn’t show up to fake Thanksgiving: mom has been wondering about it for a while, but she’s been too afraid to ask for fear that something like _this_ would happen,” He gestures toward the duo, who are standing silently together as Poppy rubs large circles on the smaller woman’s back, occasionally whispering something in a tone so low that both Douglas and Rory are unable to hear. “It’s obvious something is going on between them.”

Douglas feels somewhat trapped, unsure of what to say about the situation (he, of course, has known that _something_ was maybe going on between them, but he didn’t have any details and he had been instructed by Poppy that the duo were trying to keep things ‘low key’). However, he and Rory had really grown close while he and Poppy were dating and blatantly lying to him could potentially break whatever bond they still had (which, he doesn’t want to do considering he’s still somewhat hoping he and Poppy will get back together).

“What makes you think that?” It’s a safe question and he figures there is a fifty-fifty chance Rory knows something he doesn’t (he has been trying to stay as _away_ from the situation as possible).

“Ever since Will went to Camarillo to track down Angie and Colin, I’ve had my suspicions.” Douglas smirks slightly at the reply, partially because he had developed some suspicions then, too, but mostly because his suspicions began _months_ before that, after Will threw Angie that birthday party. 

“And, all summer, they’ve been spending more time together than they have with anyone else. When I was helping decorate for Christmas in June, Angie would sometimes stop by and they would have these little moments when I wasn’t in the room.” Both understand that Rory had been eavesdropping on the adults instead of doing whatever they had told him to do, but Douglas choses not to mention that, instead storing away Rory’s input for future use (maybe when he wants to _guilt_ D’Amato or Cooper into babysitting, he’ll mention that they traumatized Poppy’s _young_ son).

“It’s clear that they don’t even know what’s going on right now, Rory,” Douglas mutters as he watches Angie finally calm down, reverting back to her usual cool and collected facade, nodding along to whatever Poppy is telling her.

“Hey Douglas, I think we’re going to head out- Rory has been going crazy getting ready for this Valentine’s Day party,” Poppy says as she and Angie make their way toward him and Rory. Though he isn’t necessarily sure why Rory has insisted on throwing _holiday-themed_ parties this summer or how he has organized them (it’s clearly not by calendar year), he understands how _intense_ the ten year old has been lately and waves a quick goodbye as his three companions leave.

“Good luck with that,” Douglas calls from his front door, earning a smile from Popy as she turns to wave once more (he can faintly hear D’Amato mimicking barfing sounds in the background, but he chooses not to comment).

* * *

As soon as he steps into Poppy’s apartment, he questions his own sanity: does he _love_ torturing himself (he’s been asking himself this question since he was left alone with the twins after Rose died, but it has never seemed more important than now)? 

He’s attending a romance theme party at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, surrounded by their children, their two friends who are obviously sneaking around in some capacity, and Miggy (he emphasizes _Miggy_ ’s presence because the younger man is standing near the karaoke machine, scanning his phone to find ‘the perfect mush song’). 

Poppy is standing in the kitchen, nudging Will lightly as they whisper back and forth, while Angie is bouncing Jack lightly on her lap, complimenting Rory on his party planning skills and spewing excuses as to why she hadn’t been to Douglas’s party (Douglas can see that Rory is clearly not convinced and, as Angie pulls a nicely wrapped gift out of her purse, it becomes clear that she had predicted this).

Deciding it’s the lesser of two evils, Douglas heads towards the kitchen where Will and Poppy’s whispering ends almost abruptly (he had thought they were talking about Angie, but their silence is making him think maybe they were talking about _him_ ).

“Nice party you’ve thrown here,” Douglas gestures to the heart shaped decorations surrounding them (he’s pretty sure there’s a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, but he doesn’t question it) and the glitter that covers every surface of Poppy’s small home. 

“We both know I can’t take any credit for this: Rory went insane getting everything together today,” Poppy smiles as her eyes land on Rory, who is tightly holding some sort of microphone that Angie gifted him with (Douglas has half a nerve to question Angie’s sanity, but refrains for the time being).

“Is it my turn to host the next party? Because I just got the last of the glitter out of the house,” Will shudders slightly at the idea of having _another_ mess to clean up, but Douglas knows that the man is just doing it to be dramatic (Will lives for planning parties and hosting gatherings, everyone knows it).

There’s a moment when Douglas and Poppy lock gazes and she tilts her head slightly in Angie’s direction, as if encouraging him to mention that it is _Angie’s_ turn next, but Douglas shakes his head ever so slightly, not wanting to be involved with whatever Cooper and D’Amato were doing. It makes him smile, knowing that even after it’s been a couple of months, they are still as in sync as ever.

“Actually, I think-”

“What holiday do you think Rory is going to choose next? Easter? Halloween?” Douglas interrupts her with a hard look, signaling that now is not the time for any more ‘relationship’ questions (he _can not_ handle another panic-ridden Angie and he assumes Will would only be _worse_ ).

“Hey guys, what are you talking about?” Angie asks as she approaches, a light smile on her face as she makes her way to stand on Douglas’s other side. 

“Which holiday is next,” Poppy mutters, sending Douglas a look of annoyance before focusing her vision on her best friend. He can see that she desperately wants to pull Will and Angie aside and question them, grilling them about their relationship status and any updates that might have happened within the few days since she’s asked last, but she refrains for his sake.

“Halloween; Rory told me that he’s cracking out the cobwebs and setting up my place to be some sort of haunted house.”

* * *

Things take a turn for the worse when Angie’s four twenty-something (almost) tenants turn up at the party alongside Danny, the guy who Angie used to fawn over (Douglas wonders if Rory has gone insane as Will tenses beside him).

“Mom, Angie, I brought you guys some potential dates for the evening! Since Miggy and I had so much fun playing quasi- _Bachelor_ choosing which one of these lovely four men would rent out Angie’s house for the summer, I decided that we should do a similar thing, only-”

“-Rory, you’re rambling,” Douglas grumbles as he sizes up the five men in front of them. 

“Sweetie, I can see that you had good intentions, but I’m not sure that this is a good idea.” Poppy says, shooting her son a sympathetic look before whispering something to Angie, who laughs before agreeing.

“What? No, this is a great idea! I mean, Danny here even showed up to Chez Second Grade looking for Angie on Valentine’s Day, isn’t that right?” The newspaper boy blushes before thrusting his rose bouquet in Angie’s direction, the brunette looking speechless at the flowers and man (boy?) in front of her. Douglas sees her look quickly toward Will, who has since completely frozen and gone as pale as a sheet, before looking back towards an expectant Danny.

“I even learned how to fix bedside table lamps!” Douglas almost laughs at how enthusiastic the younger man sounds about the accomplishment, while Angie blushes in embarrassment at the memory his words seem to invoke.

“That’s- that’s great Danny, but I’m not sure that this would be the best idea right now, because-”

It’s clear that she hasn’t found a reason that doesn’t involve outing herself and Will to the kids, her voice softening as she racks her brain for a good enough reason. 

“-because Angie is so busy with her new job and photography that she just doesn’t have time to date.” Will’s voice is louder than it needs to be, given the situation, but he looks somewhat accomplished at his lie.

“Right, I just got a new job and I have been taking some photos here and there: I really don’t have any time to date, sorry.” Angie shoots Will a grateful look before attempting to look sympathetic about the situation.

“Okay, fine, then Mom can be the solo Bachelorette, just like Kaitlyn Bristowe!” Rory’s eyes widen in excitement as if this was his plan all along (Douglas wouldn’t put it past the kid).

“Actually, it’s a ‘no’ from me, too. Between the Winebrary and all these summer holiday parties we’ve been having, I just don’t think this is a good time for me.” Poppy says honestly, gripping Angie’s hand softly before turning towards the ‘suitors,’ who all look a little disappointed (no one looks more upset than Rory, who is mumbling something about how Angie and Poppy ruined all of the fun).

* * *

Douglas, claiming he has to stick around while the twins do a full-apartment inspection on all of Poppy's appliances, finds himself helping clean up after Rory's latest party (the kid had cheered up after Angie pulled him aside to start planning the next party, not letting him dwell on the _failures_ he felt after this one). 

Poppy has the broom out, attempting to sweep up some of the red glitter around the room and mumbling about how it keeps sticking to the broom, itself, which is just causing it to spread more than it had originally (there was a reason there was no glitter at fake Thanksgiving- Douglas had put his foot down).

"Tell me, did you know about the circulars guy being into Angie?" Douglas asks curiously, attempting to start a conversation between them as he picks up another plate off the coffee table. Poppy smiles slightly, shaking her head, though she seems amused by his choice of question (likely because he has made his feeling about interfering with their friends' love lives _very_ clear, especially after the whole Angie panic attack situation).

"No, but then again, it seems like Will might've been the only one who did." Poppy laughs lightly which garners a smile from Douglas. "Those two- they need to get their act together."

"Maybe they're just afraid of what people will think if things don't work out between them," Douglas suggests easily, reaching for a plastic cup half-filled with orange soda.

"Well, maybe they just need to take a chance," Poppy says, looking briefly in his direction before back down at the floor. "They'll never know anything if they aren't willing to try. I think-"

He kisses her quickly before she can say anything else about their friends, telling himself to get his act together and take a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter! I thought it would only be right to reunite Poppy and Douglas (which will be discussed in later chapters, as well), since I am hoping that happens in a theoretical season 3.  
> Let me know what you guys think and what holiday should come after Halloween!


	4. rory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory watches with interest as Will makes his way toward Angie, tossing an arm loosely over her shoulders and whispering something in her ear that causes them to share a look, before they both turn toward him. Angie looks as if she’s trying to decide if whatever Will just told her is true, while Will is looking between the two of them, before he begins taking out plates and silverware from Angie’s cabinets (Rory also notices how easily he finds these things, as if he’s _very familiar_ with the D’Amato kitchen).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rory felt like a good fit next because he's the party planner of the bunch and, considering it's Angie's week to host, I thought that could help pull everything together!

After his mom and Douglas decide to try things again (Poppy assures him that they’re moving at a  _ slow _ pace, but after Rory catches them on the phone after midnight for a third night in a row, neither really believes that), he finds himself spending more time with Will than he ever has before: apparently the older man has grown extremely lonely during the summer and Poppy thinks that Rory’s presence could cheer him up (Angie jokes that, if nothing else, it could help improve Will’s wardrobe, which sends all three into fits of giggles).

Since it’s Angie’s week to host the party (Halloween-themed, because it was the only holiday she would agree to), the duo spends most of the time together at the D’Amato house, even when Angie is at work (Will takes him to see her once and even Rory can admit that the place is  _ swanky _ ). They also visit every supercenter and craft store within a 30-mile radius in search of fake cobb-webs and jack-o-lanterns (Angie jokes she’s surprised they aren’t carving their own, but Will somberly tells her that it’s something he and Sophie love to do together and she instantly drops the idea)(Rory, who has been watching their interactions carefully, finds it amusing that Sophie’s name instantly brings an end to Angie’s taunting, as if she knows what might happen if she pushes things further).

“I’m not sure I think that jump ropes are a good idea, Rory,” Will mumbles as he scans the area of Angie’s living room, clearly trying to think about how to take advantage of as much square footage as possible. Rory had suggested they use jump ropes tied to different pieces of furniture as a type of obstacle that guests would have to step around, but it’s clear Will Cooper isn’t sold (at all). 

“Every haunted house needs obstacles,” He replies easily, rolling his eyes at the fact that Will is clearly trying to ruin his plans (Angie had done it earlier in the week when she insisted that no glitter was to enter her house, still traumatized after having to clean it out of both Will’s and Poppy’s for days).

“Rory, you do realize that the only people who will be going through are you, the twins, your mom, and Douglas, right? If Douglas does a nose dive thanks to some jump ropes, he would probably sue us.” Which, okay, Rory can totally see happening, not to mention the endless punishments he’d receive from his mom.

“Won’t you and Angie be going through? I mean, it is a party  _ at her house _ , so it’s naturally assumed that she’ll be there and obviously-”

He shoots Will a look that says ‘ _ you two are inseparable and clearly in love _ ,’ but Will quickly looks away before he can even begin to decipher it. 

“-0bivously I have nothing better to do than party with my best friends, I know: I will be there, but I figured Angie and I would be in charge of making sure everyone else was super scared.”

Before Rory has the chance to berate Will over the fact that  _ he  _ will likely be the easiest to scare (because that’s why he wanted to sit out the haunted house, right?), Angie comes through the door, arms filled with Chinese takeout and cloth to make fake cobwebs (Will must’ve texted her about Rory’s decoration dilemma).

“Hey guys, how is everything coming along with the haunted house? I’m super psyched to see what you guys come up with on Friday,” She exclaims as she breezily makes her way toward the kitchen, tossing the fabric on the couch as she passes it.

Rory watches with interest as Will makes his way toward Angie, tossing an arm loosely over her shoulders and whispering something in her ear that causes them to share a look, before they both turn toward him. Angie looks as if she’s trying to decide if whatever Will just told her is true, while Will is looking between the two of them, before he begins taking out plates and silverware from Angie’s cabinets (Rory also notices how easily he finds these things, as if he’s  _ very  _ familiar with the D’Amato kitchen).

“Rory, I’m sorry man, but Will wants me to tell you that I’m not into the jump rope idea,” Angie says after a moment of silence (Rory assumes she has been trying to visualize how it might work, because she nods before making the statement, as if she genuinely agrees). “Imagine if one of the twins fell and broke something: they would probably make you be their personal slave for at least a year.”

Her threat is somehow worse than Will’s because, though his mother would likely force him to donate Liza or something equally as heinous, he can only imagine the  _ hell _ his life would become as a personal slave to Emma and/or Amy. 

“Plus, I really can’t afford to take a fall after I got hit with that car a few months back.” Rory watches as Will tenses at the mention of what Poppy had called ‘Angie’s biggest moment of stupidity’ (had Will known about the incident), before a light blush begins coloring his cheeks. Angie is grinning, her eyes sparkling with mischief, and Rory instantly realizes that he’s missing some sort of detail because, at the time it had happened, the fact that Angie had mindlessly walked into the road and was hit by some random car had not been a joking matter (Poppy had given her a two hour lecture and forced her to remove  _ Pokemon Go!  _ from her phone).

“I’m sure whoever  _ accidentally  _ hit you is sorry and would not love that you’re still bringing that up.” Will mumbles, his voice so soft that Rory has to strain to hear (and even after he hears it, he thinks he must have heard wrong). 

“Hey man, I walked with a limp for like two weeks thanks to that guy, I deserve to bring it up every once and a while.” Rory makes a mental note to ask Poppy about more details involving Angie and the  _ Pokemon Go! _ situation (which is what Poppy insisted they call it), because things didn’t seem to be adding up, at all.

“You know what, let’s move past the haunted house preparations and talk about something else: Rory, how are things going between your mom and Douglas?” Will looks desperate to change the conversation topic and Angie’s eyes light up at the idea of gossiping about her best friend, clearly interested in hearing the latest updates (it reminds Rory of the interrogation he receives from his mom about the two adults sitting across from him every day after Will brings him home).

“Things are going strangely good between them; my mom is smiling more than ever, I heard Douglas laugh the other night, it’s been wild!” 

His response brings a smile to both of his companions’ faces, though Will is sporting a more  _ dreamy _ look while Angie just genuinely seems happy for her friends. 

“And where are they on the whole ‘why they broke up’ front? Have they figured things out between them?” Angie is leaning forward, her chin resting in hands as she leans against her kitchen counter, eagerly awaiting to hear the latest update (Rory want to ask why she doesn’t just call Poppy and ask for herself, but he already knows the answer; if Angie were to ask about Poppy and Douglas, it would give him mother free reign to question the relationship between Will and Angie).

“Well, I don’t actually know why they broke up to begin with, so-”

He pauses, taking a moment to size up his friends’ parents, as if to decide which one of them might crack if he started pressuring them (Will, obviously), but then changes his mind (if it was big enough to break up  _ Poppy and Douglas _ , she will tell him when the time is right).

“If she hasn’t mentioned it yet, maybe she’s just waiting until it’s the right time to tell you,” Will says, directly addressing Rory, though he nudges Angie slightly as if to signal that she should agree with him about this (Rory has noticed that they have been standing closer to one another lately, but decides not to mention it).

“Or, maybe Poppy has changed her mind and decided that it’s not that important,” Angie suggests with a shrug, shooting Will a pointed look (Rory starts to wonder what the issue might have been between Poppy and Douglas, because Will and Angie are making it sound like a  _ big deal _ ), before focusing her attention back to Rory. 

“I wasn’t super sure what you would want, so I got a little bit of everything from the Chinese place,” Angie states as she begins opening some of the paper bags she brought, filling the room with the scent of Chinese spices. Will starts opening the containers as she hands them to him and Rory watches their slight display of domesticity with delight, smiling as he is reminded of the feelings that are festering between the duo.

* * *

“Rory, I have so many questions about these outfits, starting with ‘how did you know my size?’ and ending with ‘why do you want Will and I to wear a couples costume and why is it that of a former president and first lady?’” Angie mutters as she makes her way into the living room before the party, having been handed her ‘costume’ as soon as she walked through the door (Will had excitedly announced that they were going to be John F. Kennedy and Jackie O)(Rory assumes she looked up who those people were after she saw the blue dress and cardigan he chose for her, paired with white gloves and a fashionable ( _ for the time _ ) hat).

“He’s not just any president, Ange, he’s JFK! Magic bullet theory! Assassination conspiracy theories! He was so  _ charismatic  _ and the people loved-” 

Will’s eyes as sparkling as if Sophie has just told him he’s her role model and, as he starts rapidly spewing facts about ‘one of the greatest presidents of all time,’ Rory and Angie both have to resist rolling their eyes.

“Okay, never mind on that second question, I can clearly see who chose this costume theme, but that doesn’t clarify  _ why  _ we’re wearing the outfits.” 

Admittedly, Rory is thankful she’s cut Will off in the middle of his trivia: when Rory demanded that the adults dress in couple’s costumes and insisted that meant he and Angie would have to be a pair (it was Poppy’s genius idea), Will hadn’t hesitated to chose the Kennedy duo and, as they made their way to the mall so that Rory could pick out the perfect outfits, he learned more facts about John Fitzgerald Kennedy than he ever wanted to.

“I  _ told  _ you about this yesterday when we were putting the finalizing details on the decorations: all the adults are wearing couple’s costumes!” Rory can see the doubt and annoyance painted clearly on Angie’s face as she grudgingly slips the white gloves onto her hands, scoffing when Will adjusts her hat ‘so it’s perfect.’

“What are Poppy and Douglas dressing as?” 

“I think my mom said something about being Zeus and Aphrodite, whoever they are,” Rory responds easily, clearly unphased by Angie’s hostility (seeing the costume on her, Rory can admit that maybe the hat is  _ a little much _ , but Will had insisted it perfected the outfit).

“So they’re going to be wearing bedsheets, while we’re dressed as if we’re meeting the Queen of England, gotcha.” 

“Actually-”

“Will, I mean this as nicely as possible, but I highly doubt that any of your JFK trivia is going to make this situation  _ better _ ,” Angie says, though Rory notes that her tone is less biting than usual, as if she’s actually trying to  _ preserve _ Will’s feelings (is she softening toward him? Oh my God!).

Somehow, Angie must have the magic touch, because Will nods solemnly, the duo sharing a look and smiles instead of saying another fact, bustling around the house to make sure everything is looking good (Rory had abandoned the haunted house after Will and Angie vetoed some of his best ideas, instead focusing on party games and getting Will and Angie to admit their feelings to the group: the second thing was something he and Poppy came up with together and, though Douglas swore he wouldn’t help them, Rory was pretty sure he was at least  _ a little  _ invested, too).

* * *

The twins are dressed as Violet Beauregarde for Halloween (yes, they are matching and it honestly freaks him out a little), chomping their gum loudly as they work on carving their own jack-o-lanterns (somehow Will had come around to the idea after a little while and Rory suspects Angie is behind his change of heart). He is dressed as Willy Wonka (as if he would miss an opportunity to wear his purple velvet jacket), grinning as he watches Douglas and Poppy whisper back and forth happily from their positions on the couch (he likes seeing Poppy  _ happy _ and is glad that Douglas is making her smile).

“Okay everyone, now that we’re all here, I have made a slideshow to commemorate all of the parties we’ve had thus far,” Will announces, straightening his tie as he reaches for the television remote (Rory can hear Angie mumble something about  _ just how many _ slideshows Will has made this summer to Miggy, but Will is undeterred and enthusiastic as he stands beside her, watching the presentation begin). 

As all of Will’s slideshows seem to be, it is set to “100 Years” (Rory is starting to  _ hate _ that song) and, from the corner of his eye, he can see tears collecting in the older man’s eyes (Angie is whispering something in his ear, probably to ‘pull it together,’ but Rory can still faintly hear the sniffles coming from behind him). By the time Miggy turns the lights back on in the living room, Will is quickly wiping at his eyes and Angie is giving him a soft look as she hands him tissue-after-tissue (Miggy smirks when he sees the two of them together and Poppy grins as if Christmas has come early).

“Cooper, pull yourself together, it’s only been a month: I’m honestly a little confused how you made pictures from three parties take ten minutes,” Douglas shudders slightly, though Rory watches as Poppy nudges him and shoots him a glare as Will blushes and buries his head in Angie’s shoulder (the woman cringes, though it’s probably because Will has not quite stopped crying yet). It is obviously not news that Will is not the _manliest_ of men, but Poppy has made it clear (especially to Douglas) that no one should shame the man for expressing his feelings.

“This is obviously going to take a while, maybe we should just call it a night,” Angie suggests softly, rubbing Will’s back as he continues to silently cry (Rory guesses it’s a mixture of missing Sophie and disbelief that the summer has gone by so quickly, though maybe it also has to due with the fact that he and Angie would likely have to define their relationship soon). “Thank you all for coming, there’s candy in a bowl in the kitchen if you want any.”

He races toward the kitchen to start picking through whatever candy Angie (which was really Will, if he has to guess) purchased, completely forgetting his whole ‘get Angie and Will together for  _ real _ ’ mission in favor of intense amounts of sugar (Will always buys the expensive, good stuff). The twins quickly follow him back, with Miggy trailing behind them (he had shown up alone since things apparently hadn’t turned out well between him and Ms. Pronstroller) and Rory dumps the bowl onto the counter so they can begin dispersing the candy with ease.

After twenty minutes and the consumption of five chocolate bars, Rory and the others return to the living room, where Will has composed himself and is discussing former presidents with Douglas, while Angie is avoiding making eye contact with Poppy, instead, carving one of the pumpkins the twins had abandoned. 

When Rory clears his throat and the twins loudly tap their feet against the hardwood, the adults all separate and make vague plans for the upcoming week before Poppy whisks him away, questioning everything (from Will and Angie’s couples costume to the way she comforted him during the slideshow) and adding in her own observations as they try to piece together the relationship that has begun to progress between the two friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm not really sure who I'm going to go for next (the twins? Miggy? someone else? a repeat?), so the next update might take a little while longer.  
> Let me know if there's anything you specifically want to see!


	5. tracy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tracy cringes slightly at the mention of Angie, though she attempts to conceal it by taking a sip from her cup (she thinks she’s moderately successful, seeing as Will doesn’t mention it, though he always was a _little blind_ when it came to Angie).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I was listening to Lady Antebellum's "What If I Never Get Over You" and somehow got to thinking that Tracy's perspective should be the next, so I hope you enjoy!

Though things are somewhat tense between them _still_ , Tracy prides herself in the amount of professionalism she maintains at all times, which is how she finds herself inviting Will Cooper to a Fourth of July party she is throwing (she has invited most of their fellow co-workers and realized she should invite him before someone ( _Guy McCormick_ ) told him about it and created more tension at the studio). She tells herself that she can’t go back to him ‘landing planes’ near the toaster and that things wouldn’t be _too_ awkward if he showed up, so she invites him out to coffee to deliver a formal invitation (she had them printed a few months in advance and they are somewhat of her pride and joy).

Since he usually does the weather either really early in the morning or late at night, they don’t see one another as much as they would if he was on more _regularly_ , so when she begins the conversation by inquiring about his summer (she knows Sophie went to space camp: the young girl couldn’t _stop_ talking about it last year and Will couldn’t stop _casually_ name-dropping the fact that he knew Lance Bass), though she is a little unprepared for his long-winded tangent about the parties he’s been organizing and the glitter that he still hasn’t gotten completely out of his hair (admittedly, she noticed when he sat down).

“-but overall, it’s been great! Poppy and Douglas broke up for a hot minute, but they’re back together now and Angie was going to go to Barstow for the summer, but she didn’t, so all of the gang is in town.” 

Tracy cringes slightly at the mention of Angie, though she attempts to conceal it by taking a sip from her cup (she thinks she’s moderately successful, seeing as Will doesn’t mention it, though he always was a _little blind_ when it came to Angie).

“Oh, well I’m glad that Poppy and Douglas are back together and that you’re having a great summer.” She doesn’t mention Angie, with hopes that Will might pick up on her avoidance of the brunette, but he instead continues rambling carelessly, seeming blissfully unaware of how tense she’s becoming.

“Yeah, _Angie_ and I are still trying to figure out if everything is resolved between Poppy and Douglas, but neither will tell us anything, so that’s a bit of a bummer. Rory and the twins are happy they’re back together and, well, _Angie_ and I think maybe they’ll be getting married within the next year-”

“Well, let Poppy and Douglas know that I’ve got my fingers crossed for them.” Honestly, she isn’t exactly sure what she should say, given the fact that Poppy hadn’t necessarily been her biggest fan (especially after _Angie_ let it slip to her that Tracy wasn’t a huge fan of Sophie).

“-I’m sure you’ll be invited to their wedding, but beware, there will be _glitter_.” Will shudders slightly before meeting Tracy’s gaze, his eyes sparkling with excitement and enthusiasm. “So, how has your summer been?”

For a moment, she considers just running out of the coffee shop and turning in her resignation to KZOP: she loves her job and worked hard to get where she is, so she refrains from doing it, but being this close to Will is _hard_ , sometimes, especially given the fact that she hasn’t quite moved on yet and he’s clearly _still_ in love with _Angie_ (she has half a mind to question him about it, but doesn’t because she doesn’t want to know the answer). Being around Will, with his bubbling energy and warming presence, feels a little like a punch to the gut, honestly, but she tells herself that she just needs to _adjust_ (the voice inside her head reminds her that it’s been _months_ since the two dated and that it’s time to move on).

“My summer has been great: obviously, I’ve been pretty busy with work and, well, I recently moved, which is actually why I asked you to coffee today. I’m throwing a little housewarming meets Fourth of July party at my place this weekend and I was wondering if you’d want to come,” she can read the hesitation in his eyes as he contemplates the option before she continues, “I’ve invited a bunch of people from work and I didn’t want you to think I was excluding you. If it would be _too_ awkward-”

Maybe that was the wrong thing to suggest because suddenly Will is back to being his normal perky self, promising he will clear his schedule to be there (she internally groans, but plasters a smile on her face, mentally thinking that it would be ‘ _too_ awkward’ for her).

Once she hands him an invitation (which he slips into a messenger bag, something she knows is _new_ ), conversation stalls as Tracy tries to formulate ways to _subtly_ leave without offending her (friend? subordinate?) co-worker.

“Do you want me to bring anything? Snacks? I make a mean apple pie, which is practically the protocol for the Fourth of July,” She can already see the list formulating in his mind as he thinks about what he should offer, though she notes that he seems completely at ease about the whole situation. He doesn’t seem to feel the awkwardness that clings to this interaction and threatens to suffocate her at any given moment, nor the annoyance she feels about the fact that he’s _totally fine_ and she hasn’t gotten to that place yet.

“No, I think I’ve got everything covered and, if it would make things less awkward for you, feel free to bring a plus one.” 

Her eyes widen slightly as she hears herself say it and, this time, Will does react slightly, his eyes widening as a slight blush colors his cheeks, confirming her suspicions that something is brewing between him and Angie. She feels a little foolish and mentally berates herself, once more resuming her previous task of trying to find the perfect excuse to escape as soon as possible.

“Oh, I’m not- it’s not-” He’s stuttering hopelessly and, as much as Tracy wants to try to help him find whatever words he’s trying to say, she doesn’t because she has absolutely _no idea_ where he’s going with this.

After watching him stutter for a few more minutes, she tells herself (and him) that she needs to return to the studio (she actually _does_ , so at least that isn’t a lie) and that she’ll see him on Saturday.

As she leaves, she hears him mumbling under his breath, clearly noting how much he seemed to have fumbled that conversation. She smiles slightly as she makes her way to her car, trying not to think about what might happen on Saturday.

* * *

Will arrives at the party thirty minutes after it starts (which she is surprised by, considering his love of punctuality), carrying a pie plate, with Douglas trailing slightly behind him, grumbling lowly. Tracy’s eyes widen when she sees Douglas (she had _obviously_ been expecting Angie) and, as she makes their way toward them, she can hear Will telling Douglas to ‘at least pretend to enjoy yourself.’

She smiles when she finally stands in front of the two men, taking the pie plate as Will shoots her somewhat of a bashful smile, before gesturing toward Douglas, attempting to portray her confusion (she isn’t sure she’s as successful as she wants to be, but Douglas sees the gesture and takes pity on her).

“We’ve decided to have a Guys Night and what better place than on the Fourth of July, surrounded by people we don’t know,” Douglas states, his voice dry as he shoots a glare in Will’s direction (Tracy bites back a smile, knowing that, if he could be, Douglas would be _anywhere_ that wasn’t here).

“That seems like an _interesting_ choice.” She chooses her words carefully as she stares at the two once more, trying to piece together the fact that they came together (if she had to guess, she would’ve thought Will would bring Poppy over Douglas any day).

“Well, nothing can really be worse than our first-ever Guys Night; Will hit me with his car-”

“You were _inside_ your own car and I was signaling to turn.”

“-and left the kids home alone without supervision, which prompted them to sneak away to the golf course so that they could fall asleep under the stars.”

“Okay, whoa, you steamed me out in the sauna, Douglas!” 

Tracy notices that Will has started to get more defensive about the situation and can’t help the laugh that bubbles up in her throat. When she and Will had dated, they didn’t spend much time around his friends (probably because she wasn’t big into _kids_ , and that’s what bonded all five of them), but she had always found the dynamic between him and Douglas amusing.

“At least I didn’t hit Angie with my car.” Douglas’s voice is lowered to a whisper, though Tracy hears the words perfectly. “Rory and Poppy pieced that one together after the Halloween party; how could you not tell us?”

She quickly looks toward Will, who is blushing slightly (clearly embarrassed, she notes as his ears turn a little red), not denying the accusation. Tracy can hardly believe that _Will Cooper_ : someone who refuses to drive even one mile per hour over the speed limit hit anyone, let alone _Angie_ , with his car, but it seems likely as Will suddenly finds a fascination with his shoes.

“Angie and I agreed we wouldn’t- I didn’t even know I hit her at the time, she just hobbled off into the woods after it happened.”

Feeling as if she’s intruding on some sort of personal conversation (and still stunned by the fact that _Will Cooper_ hit someone with his car), Tracy leaves the men to discuss the situation quietly as she approaches her friends, who are whispering and giggling, shooting occasional looks in Will’s direction.

* * *

“I can’t believe he actually came tonight!”

“I told you he wasn’t dating that girl: maybe you two should get back together!”

“He looks so much cuter than I remember!”

A little annoyed with her friends’ responses and gushing, Tracy excuses herself after quickly downing a flute of champagne (this is her party and she can do whatever she wants), before making her way toward her front lawn, seeking silence and a chance to clear her head.

Instead, she is greeted by Will Cooper, who evidently had the same idea, though he thought to bring a couple of slices of pie with him (he offers her one when she approaches and she smiles before taking the slice of blueberry- she’s not a big apple pie fan).

“It’s a very nice party you’ve got going on,” Will says softly, his eyes glued to the stars as he reclines on her perfectly manicured grass, resting his head on his hands. 

“Thanks, it only took _forever_ to set up,” Tracy smiles slightly as she attempts to trace some of the constellations she used to be obsessed with (back in high school, she had thought horoscopes and astrology were _all the rage_ ). “Where is Douglas?”

“He said he got called away for a medical emergency, but he’s a dermatologist, so I think it was probably just Poppy calling so he could leave.” Will shrugs, not a hint of anger or bitterness bleeding into his words, much to her surprise.

“I would’ve- uh- I would’ve understood if you had to go with him.” 

She’s anxious as she toes the line that neither has yet crossed, where they have to discuss the actual _intricacies_ of whatever friendship they’re trying to retain. When they had agreed to try to be friends at work, they had spent ten minutes discussing the toaster before going their separate ways: there was no real definition about what things would change between them, and, because of it, she felt she was constantly skirting with dangerous territory.

“Oh, no, Tracy, this is a nice party and I thought it would be rude to leave early, considering we arrived late.” Will’s tone is sincere and it makes her smile widen as she processes the questions she wants to ask next. “Besides, Poppy asks too many questions that I don’t have the answers to.”

“About you and Angie?” She can’t stop herself, though she wishes she could have, because Will instantly whips his head toward hers, his eyes wide as if he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been.

“Tracy, it’s not- we’re not-” 

“Will, if we’re going to be friends, there is going to have to be a semblance of honesty between the two of us.” Her words are blunt and a little harsh, but she doesn’t want to be treated as if she’s a child, she just wants to know the truth (and for him to respect her enough not to lie about it).

“Things between Angie and I are complicated,” Will sighs, turning back towards the sky as if it holds all of the answers to whatever he’s questioning. “She was supposed to spend the summer in Barstow with Graham’s dad.”

She can hear the heartbreak and resignation in his tone as he says it, as if it explains everything (admittedly, it does help clarify _a few_ things). 

“You said she stayed in LA, right? That’s good, right?” 

“Yeah, I’m thrilled that she stayed, but now we’re stuck trying to navigate whatever might happen between us and it’s just _hard_ and _complicated_.” 

For as long as she’s known Will Cooper, she’s never really seen him this upset (okay, maybe once after his parents’ anniversary party, when Angie said they needed to take a ‘best friend trial separation’). It’s alarming, though she’s grateful that he’s sharing this with her, that he trusts her enough to let him into the finer details of his personal life.

“As ‘hard’ and ‘complicated’ as they may be, I’m sure you guys will figure something out,” Tracy mumbles, turning her head to look at him so that they lock gazes for a brief moment. “You’re _Will Cooper_ , I’ve never seen you back down from anything and I doubt that this is going to be the time that you just give up without any sort of fight.”

The silence that falls between them afterward is comfortable and easy, as if they’re just two friends instead of being two exes (one of which had a feeling he had been in love with his best friend for a large majority of their relationship, though she had told herself she was being paranoid).

“Your parents posted on their Facebook page that they were in LA for a week: what did you do with them?” Tracy inquires softly after a while, watching as Will smiles before discussing the details of their trip, including the lavish Thanksgiving dinner and the emotional slideshow he had made.

Laying together in the grass, just catching up with one another, and glancing at the stars, Tracy can finally feel herself start to breathe normally again, can feel herself reverting back to the person she was before she dated Will Cooper.

It feels nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though I wasn't a huge Tracy fan (because she was in the way of _Angie and Will_ , I thought it was interesting to have the chance to write her and what it might be like to see Will and Angie come together as someone who was once in love with part of the duo (plus she was always _so_ suspicious that I couldn't help myself.
> 
> I hope you guys liked it and let me know what you think down below!


	6. miggy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first stages of his plan involve spending more time with Will and Angie, whether they are near one another or not. Considering it’s his week to throw Rory’s off brand holiday party (somehow he had gotten stuck with Easter?), he has more opportunities to hang with Will (though Will has started to work more lately, he has made sure everyone is aware that Rory and his parties are still important to him). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is, admittedly, perhaps not my best chapter, but I really struggled with Miggy (though he's a main character, I feel like he doesn't have as much depth or story-line as the other characters, likely because they were trying to pair off Douglas/Poppy and Will/Angie).
> 
> I'm sorry and I hope you like it!

No one will ever accuse him of being the most observant person in a room, or even  _ observant _ in general, so when he finally overhears enough conversations between Poppy and Rory to know that Will and Angie are (maybe) together, he is more than surprised (later that night, when he asks Jack about it, the small boy just smiles at him and giggles, as if he’d known all along).

To confirm Poppy and Rory’s suspicions (but mostly because he’s gotten somewhat bored this summer, with everyone a little  _ paired off _ ), Miggy decides that he’s going to get Will and Angie to confess their feelings for one another in public, in front of him (and maybe their other friends, though he’s not  _ that _ picky).

The first stages of his plan involve spending more time with Will and Angie, whether they are near one another or not. Considering it’s his week to throw Rory’s  _ off brand _ holiday party (somehow he had gotten stuck with Easter?), he has more opportunities to hang with Will (though Will has started to work more lately, he has made sure everyone is aware that Rory and his parties are still  _ important _ to him). 

Miggy has been protesting the party every step of the way, insisting that his small apartment is not big enough for the group, that his lack of cooking abilities will only disappoint the group, that Jack is crazy possessive over everything (that one is actually true, Miggy still hasn’t been able to get the remote back); however, Rory had dismissed his protests and insisted that he and Will would be around early on Monday to begin preparations (Miggy wants to say something about how the party is on  _ Saturday,  _ but Angie and Poppy shoot him identical looks of warning, so he refrains).

On Monday morning, Will and Rory arrive as he’s about to head to the office (it’s still weird to think that he has an  _ actual _ job): Rory is carrying a large bag brimming with art supplies and pencils, while Will is holding various large posters and what looks like a roll of paper that he’s only ever seen in movies that feature  _ architect’s _ (he’s only seen one of those and it was by complete accident, but he remembers thinking the paper was kind of cool). The two look thrilled with themselves and can hardly contain their enthusiasm to begin planning; Miggy offers to call in sick and help with the basic ideas, but Rory shoos him away, insisting that they have everything under control (the look in his eye scares Miggy, as if his presence would mess up whatever he has planned for the duo). 

“Are you sur-”

“You should  _ go _ , Miggy. The people at work are counting on you.” 

Miggy wants to say something about how unlikely that sounds, considering he is  _ rarely _ thought of as an ‘essential’ team member in any situation, but he refrains when he glances toward Will and sees the bright smile stretching across Jack’s face as the adult holds him closely. It’s a look of pure joy and, though he wants nothing more than to just stay and be with Jack, he knows that working will help him provide and all that jazz ( _ God _ , Poppy has only lectured him about it  _ a million times _ ).

“Uh- right! Good luck with the party planning, I’ll stop back for lunch to make sure things aren’t too out of hand.” He quickly slips on his shoes (Douglas convinced him to buy a more professional wardrobe, so he wouldn’t look poorly dressed in comparison to his co-workers, and his shoes are shiny, black and new).

He looks back one more time before turning toward the door, watching as Rory whispers something that has Will stiffening and shifting awkwardly, the younger boy reaching into his bag to spread his supplies. There is a rhythm between them that makes Miggy smile, holding back a laugh as Rory’s determined eyes focus on the adult and Jack laughs happily in his arms.

Not for the first time, Miggy is glad that he knows such easy going and kind people (though they are sometimes a little  _ much _ ).

* * *

When he returns home for lunch, he’s not sure what to expect (but it isn’t what he sees). Apparently, Will has taken the trio to an outdoor store or something, because there is some sort of fake grass covering his usually carpeted living room and Rory is spreading fake plastic eggs around the room for Jack to find (the smaller boy looks more than happy about this game and Rory is grinning as he finds new places to hide the empty plastic).

Will, he notices, is smiling happily as he alternates between sending messages and taking pictures of the two boys on his phone, a large ‘Happy Easter’ banner sitting in front of him (the detailing on it is impeccable and Miggy is more than impressed by the quality of the sign).

“Oh God, it looks like spring threw up in here,” Miggy announces as he looks at all of the pastel decorations that are filling his home (easter baskets, colored eggs, fake flowers: it’s clear that Rory (Poppy, he assumes) is not sparing any cost on this event). 

Will quickly glances up from his phone and shoots him a somewhat daring look, which leads to Miggy adding, “-in the best possible way, of course! Who doesn’t love spring.” (Miggy has never found Will threatening at all,  _ ever _ , but he did in that moment and it was  _ weird _ ).

He looks toward Will for a sign of approval, but the older man is back to focusing on his phone (which is so against his usual character, if Miggy thinks about it), smiling lightly, as if whoever he’s talking to has told him something funny. Rory, who doesn’t seem to notice or react to his ‘mistake,’ smiles widely when he sees the focus of his adult supervision’s attention, as if he’s documenting it to talk about later (likely with Poppy, those two  _ loved _ to gossip). 

“Will and I made homemade stuffed crust pizza for lunch,” Rory exclaims happily after a few moments, gesturing to the culinary masterpiece that has Miggy’s apartment smelling like cheese and delicious Italian spices (which, he can already tell, is so much better than the frozen one he had picked up from the gas station a couple of days ago). “We were waiting for you to slice it, much to  _ my displeasure _ .”

“Rory, we talked about this, it’s his house: we can’t just make a mess in his kitchen and leave him the scraps,” Will chides lightly, clearly not as authoritative and strict as it might have been a few months ago (Miggy wonders if he’s replacing Sophie with  _ Rory _ , but his mind starts to hurt as he thinks about the logistics behind that, so he disregards it easily). 

Miggy is pretty sure he hears Rory mutter something about how ‘ _ Angie would _ ,’ but Will has already slipped on two oven mitts and is meticulously cutting large portions of the pizza and Miggy figures maybe he had heard wrong (he doesn’t think he did, but he isn’t sure - he’s never  _ positive _ ).

“How has work been Miggy?” Will asks as he dishes three silences onto plates Miggy has never seen in his life (there’s no way those are his, right?), setting them on the coffee table and gesturing for the others to come eat (it’s moments like these Miggy thinks about his ‘dad-like’ Will is).

“It’s been good: definitely not the same without Angie, but things are going fine,” Miggy shrugs and he doesn’t even realize he’s done anything wrong until he looks up to see Roy’s wide eyed stare and Will’s somewhat frozen look, as if he’s been caught doing something wrong (maybe someone should have told Miggy that they weren't mentioning Angie around Will - it wasn’t his fault he didn’t know).

“Speaking of An-”

“-we should’ve gotten some soda, that would’ve really made this a party,” Will mutters, cutting Rory off abruptly, though the younger boy doesn’t seem too upset about it.

A knock disrupts whatever retort Rory is forming and, much to his surprise, Angie is standing at his doorstep holding a couple bottles of soda, awkwardly rocking on her heels as all three (technically four) males stare at her. 

“Angie, is that soda?” Rory is smirking as he peers toward the door, shooting Miggy an ‘ _ I knew they were together _ ’ look, while Will flounders to piece together some sort of reasonable response (Angie, in her part, doesn’t seem to know what to say, either, just holding out the bottles of soda as if they’re going to burn her).

“Uh-” Her mouth opens and closes repeatedly, as if she’s stumbling trying to find the right thing to say (Miggy emphasizes with that, considering he hardly ever knows the right thing to say), before Will interrupts her, saying something about Angie’s ability to read minds (which he is 60% sure isn’t actually the case).

She makes up an excuse to not stay for pizza, no matter how many times Rory asks (Miggy notes that the kid seems happier than usual that Angie has arrived) and makes a mental note to look up the probability of mind-reading (he wonders if Angie has ever been able to read  _ his  _ mind).

* * *

“Just take off that costume, you’re going to scare the kids!” Angie protests as she and a life-sized Easter Bunny make their way into Miggy’s small apartment on Saturday afternoon: they (Rory) had decided that the party would be better suited as a mid-day soiree (Miggy isn’t super sure what that means), because no one has late-night parties for Easter (Angie mumbles something about it being because only pedophiles wear Easter bunny costumes at night and Miggy laughs, though her voice is low enough that neither Will or Rory hears her commentary). For someone who has a weird fetish about Santa, Miggy finds it a little strange that she is so  _ anti- _ Easter Bunny; he would’ve thought she’d be into all of the themed mascots, but apparently that was the wrong idea.

"If I take off the costume, who else will be the Easter Bunny? What if one of the kids wants their picture taken with the Easter Bunny and they won't be able to, because I've disappointed the group by taking off the costume?" From the somewhat desperate tone in Will's voice, Miggy guesses that Angie will likely not be winning the argument between the two of them, but finds himself leaning closer to hear better (when he quickly scans the room to check on his guests, he notices they all seem intrigued by the conversation between their friends, as well).

"Emma, Amy, and Rory are nine and ten, respectively: I doubt they really want their photo taken with the Easter Bunny." Angie rolls her eyes and Miggy finds himself deflating a little, considering  _ he  _ had been hoping to take his yearly picture with the bunny. "And before you even say anything, I know that you and Sophie still get your photo taken every year and maybe we should discuss that at a time when we aren't surrounded by our friends, like in the therapy sessions she will likely have to attend if you keep forcing her into those pictures."

“We’ve discussed this a  _ million _ times, Sophie isn’t going to need therapy: she’s an independent girl who, admittedly, yes, sometimes feels that there is a tremendous amount of pressure on her and has potential signs of early anxiety issues, but I think she’ll be just fine in the end.” (Though no one says it, even Miggy knows that they’re all thinking that, of all their kids, it’s likely Graham who might need to seek professional help, given his fear of  _ practically _ everything).

“She sure will be, especially if you stop traumatizing her with the bunny suit. It’s alarming that you had this just laying around in your basement.”

Before they can argue any longer, Douglas decides to remind them that there are other guests at the party (guests who don’t want to discuss how much they are likely traumatizing their children - Douglas, out of all the adults, definitely  _ does not _ want to explore that, given the fact that his own daughters terrify him 90% of the time). 

He pointedly ignores Rory’s glare and the identical scowls he receives from the twins as he pulls Angie slightly away from the door and toward the kitchen, likely to set down her meticulously frosted cookies (Miggy knows that Will likely made them, considering everyone is in silent agreement not to allow Angie to use her oven or stove, for fear that she might burn down her house). Miggy feels a sense of respect swell within him as Douglas pretends he doesn’t see the ‘ _ you’re dead _ ’ looks he’s receiving, knowing that if the roles were reversed and he was receiving the looks, he would have caved in five seconds, flat.

After that, the room is filled with light conversation (Miggy wonders if, since Will and Angie are clearly pairing off) he should try to find someone else to be with (though he had liked Harmony, she hadn’t wanted to be  _ exclusively _ with him, which had bothered him more than he wanted to admit).

* * *

At the end of the party, after Poppy and Douglas have taken home their children with promises to meet up sooner rather than later, Miggy goes to tuck Jack in while Angie and Will begin helping with clean-up (they both rationalize that they don’t have their children at home, so they have no curfew, and they don’t necessarily trust Miggy to clean everything up).

It’s when he’s returning that his plan comes full circle (somewhat): as he’s making his way back to the living room, he hears the whispers of his friends, who are clearly talking lowly so that he can’t hear (except he can because he has stellar hearing).

“You’ve really outdone yourself this summer, Cooper: how many parties can one guy really help plan without getting tired of the glitz and glitter?” Her tone is somewhat joking and, though he’s hiding around the corner, Miggy can see the smirk that’s likely spreading across Angie’s face.

“Wait until you see what I’ve been thinking about for Sophie and Graham’s ‘Welcome Home’ party in a few weeks: I’m talking about bringing back the indoor trampoline and  _ everything _ ! I hate to be corny, but it’s going to be out of this world.” Will chuckles at his own joke, though Miggy forces himself to hold back a scoff, not impressed by Will’s dad-jokes.

“Oh God, they come back in a few weeks! That totally slipped my mind, we haven’t figured anything out yet!” She sounds somewhat panicked and her words are slurring together as her speech speeds up (which Miggy thinks is hard to do, considering Angie already speaks pretty quickly).

“Hey, whoa- calm down there Ange. Things are good between us and we’ll figure everything out once the kids are back. We said we would take the summer to just enjoy ourselves and I, for one, have been enjoying things between us.”

Miggy smiles when he hears his friend and makes a silent fist-pump into the air before rushing away to wake up Jack and spread the news (he wishes he had gotten a picture on his phone to document the moment) (he also wishes he had stopped to think about how waking up a two-year-old was a terrible idea, especially when it had taken thirty minutes to get him to sleep).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, I send my sincerest apologies if this wasn't what you were hoping for! I think maybe this is a chapter I will re-visit in the future, when I have more inspiration!
> 
> Also, I have decided that the next perspective is ( _drumroll, please_ ) COLIN! Stay tuned


	7. colin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yeah, yeah, I know how excited you are, Will; these chairs didn’t just set themselves up.” Colin’s gaze strays from his former fling as he looks at Will Cooper, who is grinning widely as waving as parents and children pass, clearly undeterred by Angie’s lack of enthusiasm. He should have expected that they would attend together, the duo were practically inseparable (and he _wasn’t_ fully convinced that Will wasn’t obsessed with Angie).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I wrote Tracy and had a little bit of a block, but then realized... Colin! He has the perspective and suspicion already! I hope you guys like it!

To say he’s hesitant to be attending a play put on by 9-year-olds in the middle of the summer is a complete understatement, but Percy had pleaded for weeks, begging to go to theater camp and who was he to turn down his son (the fact that it allowed him a week without his son constantly following him was only a  _ slight _ advantage).

Since things ended with Angie a few months before, he’s avoided going near Hilltop Elementary (it reminds him of the goose that had been waiting for him in his car and he receives glares from  _ all _ of Angie’s friends, clearly showcasing that he is not welcome). Poppy’s glares are vicious and cold while Douglas’s are somewhat indifferent but also clearly menacing, his lip sneering slightly (Colin tells himself he’s not scared of them, but he’s not sure he believes that). Even Miggy, Angie’s friend who had seemed more relaxed and immature than the others, lets him know that his presence is unwelcome, simply by crossing his arms and loudly whispering lies he’s concocted (as if anyone would  _ actually  _ believe Colin was snubbed by Beyonce).

However, all of her other friends’ reactions pale in comparison to the wide berth he receives from Angie and Will: initially, he is thrilled that the latter is no longer trailing slightly behind him, asking where he got some article of clothing from, but he later finds himself missing the feeling he got when Will would endlessly ask (it made him feel  _ popular _ and  _ stylish _ , as opposed to isolated and lonely, which is how he feels now).

Things with Priscilla hadn’t worked out (of course they hadn’t, there was a reason they had gotten divorced in the first place) and she had packed her bags quickly, leaving both he and Percy as she fled to New York City (she left behind a note, disclosing that she thought he could handle things without him and that ‘things were better this way’). 

As he makes his way into the gymnasium, which has been lined with cold metal chairs, he tries to keep a low profile, telling himself that no one will notice his ex-wife’s absence or question the fact that he’s wearing a ratty old t-shirt from his days at university and a pair of gym shorts (yeah, he’s reached a new low this summer, finding himself alone with Percy more often than not).

“I can’t believe Rory talked us into coming to this thing.” He hears  _ her _ grumble in the distance, instantly looking up as his eyes search the large space for her petite frame and chocolate locks. Angie is donning a pair of cut-off jean shorts and some kind of band t-shirt that he doesn’t understand (he’s more of a  _ classical music _ fan, himself), a slight frown tugging on her lips as she scans the room for a place to sit (there is an abundance, so he’s not sure why she’s taking so long). 

“Oh come on, Ange, he’s been bouncing off the walls all week about this performance! I, personally, am so excited that-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know how excited you are, Will; these chairs didn’t just set themselves up.” Colin’s gaze strays from his former fling as he looks at Will Cooper, who is grinning widely as waving as parents and children pass, clearly undeterred by Angie’s lack of enthusiasm. He should have expected that they would attend together, the duo was practically inseparable (and he wasn’t fully convinced that Will  _ wasn’t  _ obsessed with Angie).

“Hey, it meant a lot to Rory that you helped set everything up for his big night: you know how nervous he's been about everything being perfect.” Colin is practically straining to hear their conversation (he tells himself it’s because he thinks Angie might be in some sort of  _ danger _ near Will, though he knows that isn’t the case at all). Angie smiles lightly at Will’s statement and tucks a short lock of hair behind her ear, before dragging him toward the front row of seats (Colin would’ve pegged her for being more of a ‘in the back so we can sneak out quickly’ kind of girl). 

Will follows along easily and Colin watches as the two whisper back and forth while people around them filter into the gym: it’s as if they are in their own little bubble, with Angie’s eyes sparkling as she nudges her companion and Will’s smile widening (is that even possible?) with every laugh she can’t contain.

He nods, feeling as if his theories have been slightly vindicated, before briefly looking at the musical’s program, anticipating a night full of regret (he’s not necessarily sure which he should regret more: somehow letting Percy talk him into attending all four performances of  _ Hairspray _ or the fact that he was the idiot who let Angie go).

* * *

Though he avoids them during the intermission, he still manages to make eye contact with both Will and Douglas as everyone stands in the cafeteria, drinking overly sugary fruit punch and eating cookies that are only half-baked (at best). It seems as if their entire friend circle has shown up, with Miggy cracking jokes with the two blonde twins (they scare him, he can admit that) as Poppy and Angie scan the room, whispering and laughing.

He slowly makes his way toward the group after he musters up the courage to look away from Douglas (if looks could kill, there would be no doubts that he would be dead): he tells himself that he’s going to commend Poppy on Rory’s performance, tell the twins that their sets are impeccable, and wish everyone well before quickly making his way toward the bathroom, where he will hide for the rest of the intermission.

Instead, he stutters through an awkward explanation about how Priscilla left him and how the only person he’s been around is Percy and they’ve been playing orchard every day, at least once, since school let out (even he can admit that it’s a strange game). 

Poppy’s gaze is unwavering as she openly stares at him, berating him (he doesn’t know if it’s because of the sob story or because he strung Angie along, but it’s clear she’s not fond of him). Angie shrugs and continues to let him flounder, sharing occasional glances with Will, though the latter seems more focused on intimidating him (which, admittedly, is working). Douglas looks bored with the entire situation and makes his feelings known frequently, as if everyone has miraculously forgotten since he last mentioned it a few seconds ago (Colin notes that even Poppy seems tired of her boyfriend’s antics, though she leans into him anyways). 

“Look, man, this is kind of awkward-” Miggy is the best at stating what everyone is thinking (he’s pretty sure he had heard Rory once say that).

“-Rory is hosting a cast party after the matinee on Sunday; the parents are all helping cater and entertain, you should come.” Poppy relents after a few minutes of awkward silence. Angie’s eyes widen slightly, clearly surprised, though Colin watches as Will gently squeezes her hand, his eyes still locked on Colin, though it’s clear that he no longer has Will’s attention.

“Oh, um, that- I wouldn’t want things-”

“Dude, things are already awkward, but it would be even weirder if your kid didn’t show for the party. Everyone else is going to be there and Rory has been talking for weeks about how it's going to be the event of the year.” Angie’s tone is somewhat casual, though he can tell she’s tense about the prospect of spending so much time in his presence. 

“Rory’s got everything looking pretty cool over at the Winebrary: there are streamers and a tasteful amount of glitter, plus a photo booth and-”

“I feel like you and Rory are equally excited for this party, Will, and it’s a little weird.” Angie’s remark cuts off the man beside her, whose eyes are sparkling with unbridled excitement, though it’s clear to everyone that her words lack any of their usual bite. Colin sees Poppy and Douglas share a small smile before looking toward the duo, who are sharing an assortment of the cookies around them (he’d bet actual money that Will made at least half of them, because that is genuinely the guy he is).

“It’s not weird that Rory and I are both excited: I’ve been a little busier at work lately, so it’s been nice getting to plan this party with my main man,” Will’s response is met with a groan from Douglas and a nudge from Angie, though Poppy laughs lightly. Colin knows that Angie and Will’s own children are away at Lance Bass Space Camp (Will had told him, no less than eight times, that he knew  _ Lance Bass _ ), so he’s a little surprised by the fact that they’re spending their kid-free summer with their friends’ kids, rather than doing all of the fun things he can only dream of doing (drinking at any time during the day, day trips because he feels like it, whatever movies he wants to watch). 

“Graham is going to be so hurt that you replaced him so easily,” Angie teases and Will scoffs beside her, as if the idea is blasphemous (Colin thinks it is, considering how close the two of them are). “Also, you and I both know that Rory’s idea of  _ tasteful  _ glitter is at least five large bags of it sprinkled everywhere: you should at least warn all the parents before everyone at Hilltop hates you.”

“I’m sure it’s not-”

“Will, as your friend and you somewhat armchair therapist, you should know that it’s very bad and very purple.” Poppy says seriously, placing her hand on his arm as if she’s delivering serious news that isn’t about how much glitter is appropriate (Colin thinks none, but his opinion wasn’t asked).

Just as he’s about to rattle off some excuse as to why he can’t be standing near the table, feeling like an intruder, the lights flicker in the cafeteria, signaling the end of intermission (and Colin’s own torture).

* * *

At the end of the show, he finds himself waiting in the shadows for Percy, not wanting to be seen by anyone (he knows it’s only a small amount of time until some of the parents ask about Priscilla and what fun things he and Percy have been doing over the summer, but he wants to delay the sorrowful looks for as long as possible). He almost finds himself laughing at the fact that he had once been the most attractive single dad at Hilltop and now he’s a guy who lurks in the shadows (it’s  _ not _ creepy), waiting to quickly whisk away his son without drawing any attention to himself.

“I thought it was an inspired performance,” Will gushes as he makes his way out of the gymnasium, passing by Colin without sparing him a glance (he’s pretty sure Will had seen him, given that the other man’s eyes widened a small fraction, but he doesn’t do anything about it). 

“Okay, man, don’t go all Biscuits about this: it was a good performance and I thought they handled the subject matters in… an interesting way,” Colin cringes, remembering how bad he felt for the poor girl they selected to play Tracy, who clearly hadn’t understood the complete reasoning behind her casting, “but I wouldn’t say it deserves critical acclaim or a Tony.”

Honestly, Colin is surprised both by the fact that Angie knows what a Tony is and by the fact that she didn’t fall asleep during the performance (there were times when he caught himself drifting in and out of consciousness). He doesn’t know why, but he also found himself thinking that, had Graham been around, he would’ve made a stellar choice for Corny Collins.

“I still can’t believe that Poppy got to be-” Whatever Will is saying is cut off and, as Colin moves closer to figure out what is going on, he sees the two of them wrapped together loosely, leisurely strolling toward where the ‘cast members’ are waiting eagerly with Sharpies, desperate to sign playbills and memorabilia alike. He can roughly make out the fact that it’s Angie who has silenced him and, when she gestures toward Poppy and Douglas (who are also looking wrapped in their own world), he smiles slightly.

“You’re just upset because they asked Douglas to be Edna and Poppy to be Motormouth, but they didn’t ask you to be Corny Collins like you’d been hoping they would,” Angie says once they make their way past their friends (Colin is still following behind them, though even he can’t justify his reasoning as to why). Will is pouting slightly, as if Angie should at least pretend that she understands his situation (Colin is sure they’ve discussed it multiple times, given how close they are) but, given the inflection in her tone, he guesses she is more amused than sympathetic.

“I was-”

“-practicing your dance moves all week on the off-chance that whoever’s dad that was got sick? Don’t think I didn’t notice, Cooper,” Angie laughs lightly and Colin smiles at the sound, before realizing that he’s definitely intruding on a personal moment (and he  _ definitely _ looks like a stalker, which he hadn’t anticipated).

“C’mon Ange, we both know I could have been so much better than that guy! I’m a television personality! People love me! I have  _ fans _ !” Will sounds indignant and, though he can’t see her, Colin assumes Angie has rolled her eyes at her friend’s unhappiness ( _ he _ rolled his eyes and they always seemed pretty in-sync).

“First of all, you and I discussed the fact that you shouldn’t call them fans and you  _ absolutely _ should not be writing them back: they are in prison for a reason. Secondly, I am aware that you’re on television, I am one of the few people who actually watches you deliver the weather at obscene hours of the night! And, though I’m sure you would’ve been better than  _ Mark _ , it makes sense that they asked him: Mark’s son was in the play and Sophie is at space camp. You would’ve looked like a total pedophile if you were up there with the kids.” Angie reasons, nudging Will, who nods, clearly still unhappy.

“Besides, if it’s any consolation, I love you.” 

It’s soft and vulnerable and Colin knows he’s overstepped the second he hears her utter the words as he scrambles to find Percy and  _ run _ . He had been suspicious about them since Valentine’s Day, but having those suspicions confirmed felt like being kicked in the gut.

* * *

Against his better judgment, he does end up at the Winebrary on Sunday after the matinee, carrying a few bags of chips Percy selected at the grocery store before they arrived and a duffel full of Percy’s costumes (admittedly, he is not the most  _ organized _ single parent).

Percy rushes away from him within seconds of entering the establishment, running to hang out with his new best friend Louisa (she kind of scares Colin, but she likes playing orchard and that seems to be enough for Percy).

“I see you made it, after all,” Will approaches him and, though he isn’t proud of it, he jumps slightly (he didn’t realize that the other man was there and it reminds him of the days when Will still idolized him). “And you brought some quality chips, solid choice.”

“Listen, don’t feel like you have to awkwardly make conversation with me right now, especially after-” He glances towards Angie, who is setting out various drinks along one of the table’s Colin is sure Will helped set up (the guy was practically the president of the PTA and the most involved in  _ every _ child’s life, not only Sophie’s). “I’m glad things worked out for the two of you.”

Surprisingly, he actually means it (he doesn’t think he does, at first, but as a slight silence falls upon them, he realizes there’s genuine truth to his words).

“Oh, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Angie and I are just good friends.” He’s almost as unconvincing as he was the night in Camarillo, when he stopped by three separate bed and breakfasts to find Angie, just to inform her about how Colin was still sleeping with his wife (he will never forget how caught off-guard Will looked at the accusation).

“Will, I honestly doubt anyone believes that,” Colin says, somewhat sagely, as he meets Angie’s gaze across the room. She smiles gently before looking toward the man beside him, shooting him a questioning gaze before tilting her head slightly toward where Miggy is attempting to hit on one of the other (clearly married) parents. 

“It’s really not what you-”

“Cooper, this is vital, man,” Angie is beside him within seconds, tearing Will away from whatever explanation he was about to stumble through as she drags him through the crowd toward their younger friend.

She’s demanding and quirky and is thoughtlessly oblivious when she wants to be. He’s supportive (almost aggressively so) and willing to do anything to make those around him happy. 

Watching as they attempt to mitigate the situation with Miggy (Will is making large hand gestures, arms flailing, while Angie is whispering to Miggy), Colin realizes he has never really seen two people as strangely well-suited for one another as those two.

It’s a shame he wouldn’t drive to San Diego for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I am writing this chapter to you with the sad news that Single Parents has been canceled. I'm honestly so heartbroken right now that it might take a little while to move past this.
> 
> Also, I hope you like this chapter: it was one of my favorites to write because Colin was an outside character, so I felt I had a little more freedom with him. In terms of a timeline, it is nearing the end of July with this series, so expect the kids to come home soon!
> 
> Oh, and let me know how you're hoping this will end, because I have honestly no idea! (I'm just too _sad_ to think about anything right now)


	8. mia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She smiles as she reaches for another cookie, taking a moment to look around the kitchen at all of the artwork and report cards hanging on the fridge and all of the picture frames that don’t have her in them. Just like with the chocolate, it’s only when she returns to her family that she realizes how much she’s missed them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, after writing Colin _and_ Tracy, I thought Mia would only be the next logical step, given the fact that she also suspected something might have been between the two of them. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy! (Also, a weird side note, whenever I see Vanessa Bayer in things, I remember her character on _Brookyln Nine Nine_ , which was honestly 10/10.

She arrives without any warning and, looking back, she is willing to admit that it might be her first mistake because Will shoots her a weird look and mumbles that Sophie is currently attending Lance Bass Space Camp for the summer (she’s pretty sure she hears him mumble something about how she wrote about it in the _various_ letters she had been sending, but Mia tells herself that isn’t the case because her ex-husband is honestly the most pacifistic and accommodating man on the planet - she has even seen _him_ apologize when another car hit _him_ ).

Logically, she knows that she should turn around and head back to Honduras; staying with Will without Sophie would be _weird_ and _uncomfortable_ and they had left things on a _super_ awkward note the last she was in town (which, she can admit, she should have come back to California sooner). 

However, Will, being the nicest person on the planet, offers her his spare bedroom even though their daughter is away and she finds herself accepting it before she can stop herself: they were friends _once_ and maybe this is what they need to rebuild some semblance of friendship so they can both support Sophie (she knows that _she’s_ the absentee parent whose support is _lacking_ , but she doesn’t want to analyze that).

It isn’t until she overhears him on the phone that she begins thinking she’s somehow overstepped: his kitchen is brimming with an assortment of cookies, brownies, and multiple loaves of homemade bread, while he paces the living room floor, running a hand through his hair.

“-I know this isn’t ideal but- no, I totally get that it’s weird, but- that’s not fair, things would be super different if he were here because- you know what, why don’t we talk about this later, I have another loaf of bread that needs to come out of the oven. Yeah, I’ll talk to you later.”

He’s frustrated and tense and, though she isn’t proud of herself, she quickly hides behind the wall as he approaches, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping on a conversation that clearly has him upset (though they’ve been apart for a few years, she knows he only _really_ bakes like this when he’s frustrated or upset). A small part of her, one she tries to repress, taunts her, questioning whether he bakes like this when she flakes on plans with Sophie or completely fumbles the presents she sends for Christmas (last year, he had to wake Sophie up late at night on her birthday, because Mia had forgotten until last minute).

“Hey Will, is everything alright?” She asks as she makes her way into the room, announcing her presence and waving slightly, as if signaling some sort of white flag (she regrets it as soon as she does it, suddenly feeling as if the move was more _pretentious_ than she originally estimated).

“Of course, I was just really wanting some baked goods and I wasn’t sure what kind of cookies you were into these days and-” She can tell he’s working hard to somewhat reign in the ramble she can sense if coming, his gaze focused on the baked goods instead of meeting her worried glance. “-maybe I got a little carried away.”

She smiles as she picks up an M&M cookie (they both know that they’re her favorite), taking a bite of the gooey center and closing her eyes to savor the delicacy: she doesn’t often eat sweets like this in the places she travels, she hadn’t realized how much she really missed them until she had it again.

“Will, it’s totally fine! I’m sorry to have imposed on your weekly plans- if there’s something you need to be doing, by all means, don’t let me hinder your schedule.” 

There’s a moment, so short she almost misses it, where it seems like he’s genuinely considering her offer; his face scrunches slightly as she watches him debate whether or not it would make him a terrible person (it wouldn’t) and what the consequences would be for Sophie (she may have been gone for a while, but she can still easily read Will and his _complex_ emotions). In fact, she’s almost certain he’s going to say that, while it was nice of her to stop by, it might be best if she were to stay at a hotel and spend as little time with him as possible. 

Instead, he surprises her with a small smile and a slight shake of his head, as if he can’t fathom turning her away.

“No, you should stay. You’re family, after all.”

She smiles as she reaches for another cookie, taking a moment to look around the kitchen at all of the artwork and report cards hanging on the fridge and all of the picture frames that don’t have her in them. Just like with the chocolate, it’s only when she returns to her family that she realizes how much she’s missed them.

* * *

Maybe it’s the beautiful calligraphy on the sign in front of the small shop or perhaps the intrigue surrounding the name of the establishment, but Mia finds herself entering the Winebrary after Will has left to go to KZOP (apparently he got called in to deliver the nightly weather forecast and, though he tried to suggest he could reject the offer, she had insisted he do it, noticing the look of pure joy spread across his features).

When she enters, she wonders if there is any way she could turn around, her gaze meeting Angie D’Amato’s for a quick second.

The look in Angie’s eyes indicates the fact that she hasn’t forgotten Mia’s ‘off the cuff’ remark that it had seemed like Angie was overstepping and acting like Will’s wife; in fact, the way her brown eyes cloud with a somewhat guarded look suggests she’s more uncomfortable than Mia is in the situation.

Once more, Mia raises her hand slightly in awkward acknowledgment (it didn’t work well with Will, so she isn’t sure why she tries it again), which seems to work slightly better than it had earlier, because Angie returns it with her own salute before lightly gesturing to the empty stool beside her. Though hesitant, Mia makes her way to the counter and the brunette, nervous about the direction the conversation might stray toward, yet willing to accept the younger woman’s offer of peace.

“How have you been?” Mia asks stiffly as she shifts onto the barstool, pretending she doesn’t see the boy she knows is friends with Sophie (Randy?) laugh softly into his hand on Angie’s other side. 

“I’ve been well, ya know, doing the usual routine: how are you? Is it still weird to see people wearing shoes?” Angie wiggles her foot slightly, as if showing off her sandals (Mia can admit that they’re actually pretty fashionable), her tone lighter than she had been expecting (maybe because she had already had a glass or two of wine before Mia arrived?).

“Actually, yeah, it totally is. Things are great, though, it’s amazing to be doing the work that I do,” She doesn’t mean to come off as condescending and, though she’s certain that she does, Angie seems to disregard the fact, shrugging as she takes another sip of wine. “I feel like last time I was in town, we didn’t spend much time together, given the circumstances. What is it that you do?”

“Marketing, but more the accounts side than the creative side. It’s a lot of brand awareness, honestly, but it’s a nice job and I have a swanky office with windows.” The boy beside her is nodding at the last part of her statement, clearly impressed by the woman’s office and job.

“You have one of the best views of the city!” He comments, his voice dripping with enthusiasm and thinly veiled excitement, which causes her companion to blush slightly. 

“That’s great, sounds like a good time!” She cringes at the sound of her own voice, which sounds unimpressed (though she actually _is_ slightly impressed by the woman, who she knows is one of Will’s single-parent friends).

Silence falls between them as Angie finishes her glass, gesturing for the woman behind the counter to fill it once more (Mia definitely knows they’re friends, but the name just isn’t coming to her).

“D’Amato, I think we’re going to cut you off,” A deeper voice announces and Mia turns to see the older man Will hangs out with (Davis?), wearing a suit and a sympathetic look as he wraps an arm around her, leading her off the barstool.

“What? That’s not fair, I’m totally fine-” She’s stumbling and slurring a little more than she probably realizes and Mia wonders, for a moment, if there’s something wrong, but Angie looks too guarded and defensive for her to ask.

“Let me take you home,” Davis ( _Douglas!)_ says as he leads her toward the door, gesturing toward the younger man they spend time with, who follows obediently. 

“Is everything alright with her?” Mia asks softly once the door closes behind the trio, looking at the boy (Ronny?) curiously: for a moment, it looks as if the boy is going to tell her whatever is going on, but a stern look from his mother stops him.

“Nah, I think everything is fine with her.” He mumbles, though his tone is unconvincing.

Mia nods lightly, reflecting slightly on the relationship with the woman once shared with Will and wondering if the two are still friends (she’s in a few of his pictures, but he hardly mentioned her in their last phone conversation in January).

* * *

She decides not to grill Will about the run-in at the Winebrary, instead wanting to spend their time together working out a better arrangement and relationship, for Sophie’s sake (and, maybe, a little for hers). Will, ever the dream co-parent, is more than willing to try to work on their relationship as _friends_ , which is how she spends herself spending the next few days going to some of Sophie’s favorite places in LA and re-meeting Will’s friends (sans Angie) at some kind of mid-week cookout that Will insists they host (she notices the hard looks he receives from his friends, but decides not to mention those, either).

“Mia, I’m sure you remember Douglas and his twin daughters, Emma and Amy,” Will leads her toward the older man she saw the other day and twin blonde girls who are wearing colored shirts that have slight grease stains on them (she wonder if _Sophie_ is into auto-repair like her friends are).

“Right, hi guys, it’s so nice to see you again,” She lowers herself to be even height with the short girls, not missing the way both Douglas and Will cringe, as if she’s done something terribly wrong.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but we don’t really like you-”

“-you send terrible presents, are never around, and D’Amato is clearly superior to you in terms of parenting.” 

She is surprised as they look at her unflinchingly, delivering what they feel is the truth of the situation (she can admit that she hasn’t been the most _attentive_ parent, but hearing it from a couple of nine year olds does nothing for her self-esteem). While Will has made her feel welcome in LA and his life, the twins are reminding her that she has no _real_ place among them: she had chosen to do prioritize her career over her family (she has always wondered if that was the right choice and the twins are causing doubt to creep into her mind).

“Oh, that’s-”

“It’s really nothing against you, we know you’re doing good work and everything, it’s just that we’d be crazy to say you were a better choice for Will than Angie: Angie supports he and Sophie while you’re gone,” The girl with braids says, while the other nods (Mia feels somewhat trapped in a corner _by nine-year-old twins who look like real-life American girl dolls_ ).

“I guess I just don’t know why you would be comparing Angie and me? I get that I might have said the wrong thing to her the last time I was in town, but that hardly-”

“Girls, we discussed the fact that you _wouldn’t_ attack poor Mia,” The woman from the Winebrary is standing in the doorway of Will’s living room, looking stern and authoritative, before smiling as they make eye contact. “Hi Mia, I’m sure you don’t remember me, but I’m Poppy.”

The blondes retreat and mumble their apologies as they make their way toward Poppy’s son, the kids rushing in the direction of Sophie’s room.

“You were by the Winebrary the other day, right? I thought I saw you talking with Rory.” Poppy comments as she takes her place beside Douglas, who smiles softly at her before looking back toward Mia.

“Oh, I wasn’t _just_ talking with Rory, I mean, Angie was there, too, before…” She looks cautiously toward Will, who looks frozen as if he can’t comprehend what he’s hearing (she has genuinely _never_ seen him like this before).

“Right, she’s sorry about that, by the way; she would have come to apologize for herself, but she had some kind of work meeting with a couple of her co-workers who are working on some big pitch,” Poppy nods, not filling in the blanks left by Mia’s statement, which seems odd, considering it’s clear that Will is struggling (why wouldn’t she help him out a little?).

“It’s totally fine, everyone gets like that sometimes!” Mia shrugs, though _she_ has genuinely never been _that_ drunk.

“Am I miss-” 

A knock on the door stops whatever Will was about to ask (Mia genuinely thought he was starting to put facts together, though she doesn’t know what conclusion he was reaching), as he hastily makes his way to greet his guests, his ‘perfect host’ smile plastered across his features.

“Ange, I thought you had that pitch meeting, what are you-”

“Meeting? What mee- oh, right, I did have that meeting, but it got canceled because we pitched earlier today,” Angie stumbles through her response as she makes her way into the Cooper house and, though Mia isn’t looking, she knows Poppy must be making some sort of obscene gestures to clue her in on the lie she told.

Before Mia can even formulate a response that looks casual but still formal (is that even possible?) Poppy whisks Angie away toward the backyard, whispering what seems like an interrogation as Angie responds with slight head movements (Mia can’t even _attempt_ to piece together what they’re discussing).

"Well- uh- what do you guys think about this, uh, weather we've been having?" Though it's clear Douglas's question is meant to break the tension that falls on the room after the two women leave, it seems to have a reverse effect and Mia watches as _even Douglas_ cringes as he hears himself ask the question (Will, on the other hand, lights up happily and begins a tangent about the warm conditions in the area and how this summer has reached some record highs).

* * *

"Maybe you should just talk with him about everything: a little honestly can go a long way in this situation, Ange. You two have been avoiding discussing the whole exes thing since you didn't go to Barstow, but the summer is almost over and you still haven't' really figured anything out." 

It's due to complete and utter coincidence (and, perhaps, her small blatter is also to blame) that she overhears a small fragment of the conversation between Poppy and Angie, after finally crafting the perfect excuse to step away from Will's weather discussion (it's hardly a discussion, considering he's the only one talking and he has brought out charts that he just _magically_ had sitting around).

"Poppy, I know you think that's the way to go in this situation, but things are more complicated than that." Mia peeks around the wall and peers out the glass doors dividing Will's kitchen and patio, seeing the somewhat distressed look on Angie's face as the other woman comforts her. "We both have kids and exes and _a lot_ of unanswered questions and, did we biff this up by not discussing it earlier as you suggested? Maybe. But now there are just a lot of unknowns and maybe I should jump the fence and lea-"

"D'Amato, first of all, everyone is going to notice if you hurl yourself over the fence, especially Will's neighbors, considering you'd likely land in their beautiful rose bushes." Poppy smiles lightly as she wraps an arm around her friend and, though Mia has unanswered questions about the situation and the desire to offer some sort of comfort to the woman she's only seen look fierce and unbreakable, she stops herself (making her presence known would only make things weirder). "Plus, _everyone_ would miss you and ask what happened if you just left, especially -"

"The bathroom sure does look different these days." Douglas interrupts her eavesdropping with a knowing smirk, as if he's caught her doing something she shouldn't be doing (which, he kind of has). She looks guiltily toward him before stepping away from the glass door and the best friends who she had previously been watching, prepared to give some sort of speech about how she had simply gotten distracted or had heard her name mentioned (though, she isn't sure that one would be believable since she still isn't _necessarily_ sure what they were discussing).

Before she has the chance to string together any semblance of an explanation, Douglas softly slides open the glass door and makes his way toward the two women, whispering something to Poppy, before gesturing back toward the house (she, of course, ducks away after seeing the gesture and actually makes her way to the bathroom, for fear of further embarrassing herself - she's not even sure if that would be possible at this point).

* * *

Later, when she catches herself leaning against the wall once more, just out of sight from the living room, she tells herself that she's not _invading privacy_ when they are discussing in the open and she is _technically_ a guest in the house (she also tells herself that these are _random moments_ and it would only be creepy if this happened _habitually_ \- which it doesn't).

"Thanks for coming by tonight, it means a lot, considering I feel like I haven't seen much of you this week." Will's voice is soft and she can hear the traces of vulnerability without even seeing his expression (she had grown used to it after they started fighting more, back when Sophie was younger and he wanted to _put down roots_ ).

"Oh, yeah, I've just been super busy and-"

"-and Mia's staying here. Angie, we've gone over this a million and one times, things between Mia and I didn't work for a reason: we aren't just going to magically make everything better and run away together." 

Though she knows that those words aren't specifically aimed to hurt her (they aren't even aware that she's listening), she can't help the fact that they bruise her ego and heart a little.

"You say that, now, but a couple of years ago, you were ready to do _exactly that_! Don't you remember, you and Sophie were going to go to Mexico and then to Honduras and then-"

Mia finds herself zoning out slightly as she remembers her last visit, when she had been sure that Will would be willing to move with Sophie to be with her, that he didn't have any real connections to LA. When she had spoken with Angie about it, the other woman had seemed a little disgruntled about the fact and, at the time, she accused there of being something more than 'platonic friendship' between the couple: listening to this conversation, she realizes she was likely right.

"-but we stayed, Angie! I know that you thought we were going to go, _I thought we were going to go_! We were going to be a _family_ together! I thought moving would be the right thing _for our family_! Don't you understand that!"

As the mother of his daughter, Mia feels a sense of warmth fill her as a reminder of what almost was fills her. However, as someone who has observed Angie D'Amato on a few occasions and noted the way her coat of armor seems to be, to an extent, all for show, she recognizes that Will has said the wrong things (suddenly the conversation she overheard with Poppy is making _a little_ more sense).

"I should go." It's soft and quiet and, though Mia can't see her face, she can only assume that the brunette has begun crying or is about to, given the way her voice wavers slightly.

"Wait, no, I-"

"I'll see you around, Cooper."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess, in my mind, it seemed as if there needed to be _something_ happening between the two of them, ya know? Like, who even likes watching a television show where the characters are perfectly happy the entire time (not me, that's for sure).
> 
> Obviously, if you have caught my interest in writing the exes, I'm probably thinking about Derek next.
> 
> Also, should I write an epilogue to this story? Let me know...


End file.
